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HAND (a word common to Teutonic langu...

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 910 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HAND (a word See also:common to See also:Teutonic See also:languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)  , the terminal See also:part of the human See also:arm from below the See also:wrist, and consisting of the fingers and the See also:palm . The word is also used of the prehensile termination of the limbs in certain other animals (see See also:ANATOMY: Superficial and See also:artistic; See also:SKELETON: Appendicular, and such articles. as See also:MUSCULAR See also:SYSTEM and See also:NERVOUS SYSTEM) . There are many transferred applications of "See also:hand," both as a substantive and in various adverbial phrases . The following may be mentioned: See also:charge or authority, agency, source, chiefly in such expressions as "in the hands of," "by hand," "at first hand." From the position of the hands at the See also:side of the See also:body, the word means "direction," e.g., on the right, See also:left hand, cf . " at hand." The hand as given in See also:betrothal or See also:marriage has been from See also:early times the See also:symbol of marriage as it also is of oaths . Other applications are to labourers engaged in See also:manual occupations, the members of the See also:crew of a See also:ship, to a See also:person who has some See also:special skill, as in the phrase, " old See also:parliamentary hand," and to the pointers of a See also:clock or See also:watch and to the number of See also:cards dealt to each player in a card See also:game . As a measure of length the See also:term " hand " is now only used in the measurement of horses, it is equal to 4 in . The name " hand of See also:glory," is given to a hand cut from the See also:corpse of a hanged criminal, dried in See also:smoke, and used as a See also:charm or See also:talisman, for the finding of treasures, &c . The expression is the See also:translation of the Fr. See also:main de gloire, a corruption of the O . Fr. mandegloire, mandegoire, i.e. mandragore, mandragora, the See also:mandrake, to the See also:root of which many magical properties are attributed .

End of Article: HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
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