handsome
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th century), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th century).
handsome (comparative more handsome or handsomer, superlative most handsome or handsomest)
Deriving from its original senses of skillful, capable, deft, clever, and otherwise having things well in hand, handsome as a synonym of good-looking was initially primarily focused on the well-proportioned and noble aspect of a person embodying those positive traits. Over the course of the 19th & 20th centuries, it developed into a more general and gendered idea of male beauty distinguished from the feminine beauty thought to be implied by words like pretty, lovely, beautiful, and so on. In reference to men, it continues to have a more aesthetic and general sense than hot, manly, sexy, and similar words primarily focused on sexual attraction. In reference to women, present use of handsome can seem old fashioned; when it does appear, depending on context, it may continue the original sense of powerful or statuesque beauty or imply a mannish or otherwise unusual form of beauty. Similarly, present use of handsome for inanimate objects can seem awkward; when it does appear, it usually implies the object is well built, cute and well proportioned.
Lua error in Module:parameters at line 662: bad argument #1 to 'pairs' (table expected, got boolean) of a woman: striking, impressive and elegantly proportioned, though not conventionally beautiful
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