An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/handeln

by Friedrich Kluge

handeln, vb., ‘to manage, act, deal, bargain,’ from MidHG. handeln, OHG. hantalôn, ‘to grasp with the hands, touch, feel, prepare, perform’ (hence O. Lorraine handeleir, ‘to sweep’); a derivative of Hand; Handel, m., has arisen from the vb. handeln merely, just as Ärger from ärgern (see arg), Geiz from geizen, Opfer from opfern — since it does not appear until late MidHG. (handel, m., ‘transaction, procedure, event, negotiation, wares’). AS. handlian, E. to handle, AS. handele, equiv. to E. handle; Scand. hǫndla, ‘to treat.’