handfast

Etymology

From Middle English hondfast, past participle of Middle English hondfesten (“to betroth”), from Old Norse handfesta (“to strike a bargain, pledge”), itself from hönd (“hand”) + festa (“to fasten, fix, affirm”), perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European root *pHst-.

handfast means fast by contract; betrothed by joining hands. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “handfast” is a great word

HANDFAST — [Adjective, Noun, Verb] Historically, it denotes the state, contract, or act of being bound in betrothal, specifically by a ceremony of joining hands. From Middle English hondfast, past participle of hondfesten ("to betroth"), from Old Norse handfesta ("to strike a bargain, pledge"), from hönd ("hand") + festa ("to fasten, fix, affirm"). Unlike "betrothal," a general promise to marry, or "covenant," a broad solemn agreement, a handfast is a specific, tactile pledge—a bargain fastened by the hand. It is the press of two palms over a stone in a highland glen, the weight of a vow in a knotted cord, and the solemn grip that precedes the ring—a promise made flesh before it was made law, held in the quiet air between them.

adj

Fast by contract; betrothed by joining hands.“A vyrgine made handfast to Christ.”
Strong; steadfast.

noun

A hold, grasp; custody, power of confining or keeping.“And the remembrancer of her to hold The hand-fast to her lord. I have given him that”
A contract, agreement, covenant; specifically betrothal, espousal.

verb

To pledge; to bind.
To betroth by joining hands, in order to allow for cohabitation before the celebration of marriage; to marry provisionally.“No, Sir Priest or Sir Preacher, Catherine is not my wife— […] she is not my wife, but she is handfasted with me, and that makes her as honest a woman. [...] When we are handfasted, as we term it, we are man and wife for a year and a day—that space gone by, each may chuse another mate, or, at their pleasure, may call the priest to marry them for life—and this we call handfasting.”