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An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/handeln

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handeln, verb, ‘to manage, act, deal, bargain,’ from Middle High German handeln, Old High German hantalôn, ‘to grasp with the hands, touch, feel, prepare, perform’ (hence O. Lorraine handeleir, ‘to sweep’); a derivative of Hand; Handel, masculine, has arisen from the verb handeln merely, just as Ärger from ärgern (see arg), Geiz from geizen, Opfer from opfern — since it does not appear until late Middle High German (handel, masculine, ‘transaction, procedure, event, negotiation, wares’). Anglo-Saxon handlian, English to handle, Anglo-Saxon handele, equivalent to English handle; Scandinavian hǫndla, ‘to treat.’