HANDSOMEST
Adjective
handsomest
superlative form of handsome: most handsome
Anagrams
• homestands
Source: Wiktionary
HANDSOME
Hand"some, a. [Compar. Handsomer; superl. Handsomest.] Etym: [Hand +
-some. It at first meant, dexterous; cf. D. handzaam dexterous,
ready, limber, manageable, and E. handy.]
1. Dexterous; skillful; handy; ready; convenient; -- applied to
things as persons. [Obs.]
That they [engines of war] be both easy to be carried and handsome to
be moved and turned about. Robynson (Utopia).
For a thief it is so handsome as it may seem it was first invented
for him. Spenser.
2. Agreeable to the eye or to correct taste; having a pleasing
appearance or expression; attractive; having symmetry and dignity;
comely; -- expressing more than pretty, and less than beautiful; as,
a handsome man or woman; a handsome garment, house, tree, horse.
3. Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease;
graceful; becoming; appropriate; as, a handsome style, etc.
Easiness and handsome address in writing. Felton.
4. Evincing a becoming generosity or nobleness of character; liberal;
generous.
Handsome is as handsome does. Old Proverb.
5. Ample; moderately large.
He . . . accumulated a handsome sum of money. V. Knox.
To do the handsome thing, to act liberally. [Colloq.]
Syn.
– Handsome, Pretty. Pretty applies to things comparatively small,
which please by their delicacy and grace; as, a pretty girl, a pretty
flower, a pretty cottage. Handsome rises higher, and is applied to
objects on a larger scale. We admire what is handsome, we are pleased
with what is pretty. The word is connected with hand, and has thus
acquired the idea of training, cultivation, symmetry, and proportion,
which enters so largely into our conception of handsome. Thus Drayton
makes mention of handsome players, meaning those, who are well
trained; and hence we speak of a man's having a handsome address,
which is the result of culture; of a handsome horse or dog, which
implies well proportioned limbs; of a handsome face, to which, among
other qualities, the idea of proportion and a graceful contour are
essential; of a handsome tree, and a handsome house or villa. So,
from this idea of proportion or suitableness, we have, with a
different application, the expressions, a handsome fortune, a
handsome offer.
Hand"some, v. t.
Definition: To render handsome. [Obs.] Donne
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition