Etymology Dictionary

HANDSEL, HANSEL,  a first instalment or earnest of a bargain.  (E. or Scand.)   1. In making bargains, it was formerly usual to pay a small part of the price at once, to conclude the bargain and as an earnest of the rest.   The lit. sense of the word is 'delivery into the hand' or 'hand-gift.'   The word often means a gift or bribe, a new-year's gift, an earnest-penny, the first money received in a morning, &c.   See Hansel in Halliwell.   M.E. hansele, P. Plowman, C. vii. 375; B. v. 326; hansell, Rich. Redeles, iv. 91.   2. Another sense of the word was 'a giving of hands,' a shaking of hands by way of concluding a bargain; see handsal in Icel. Dict.; and it is probable that this is the older meaning of the two.—A.S. handselen, a delivery into the hand; cited by Lye from a Glossary (Cot. 136), but the reference seems to be wrong.   [The A.S. word is rare, and the word is rather to be considered as Scand.]—A.S. hand, the hand; and sellan, to give, deliver, whence E. sell.   Thus the word handsel stands for hand-sale.   See Hand and Sell, Sale. + Icel. handsal, a law term, the transaction of a bargain by joining hands; 'hand-shaking was with the men of old the sign of a transaction, and is still used among farmers and the like, so that to shake hands is the same as to conclude a bargain' (Cleasby and Vigfusson); derived from Icel. hand, hand, and sal, lit. a giving. + Dan. handsel, a handsel, earnest. + Swed. handsöl.   Der. handsel or hansel, verb, used in Warner's Albion's England, b. xii. c. 75 (R.)