Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A handclasp used to signify a pledge, such as a contract or marriage.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To take or hold with the hand; hold securely or firmly; grasp.
  • To join together by or as if by the clasping of hands; make fast; bind; specifically, to betroth.
  • In some parts of Scotland, formerly, to marry provisionally by the ceremony of joining hands.
  • Having a close hand; close-fisted.
  • Bound by pledge, promise, or contract; especially, betrothed, or united as if by betrothal.
  • In Scotland, formerly, joined in provisional wedlock.
  • noun Grip; grasp; hold.
  • noun Custody; power of confining or keeping; a holding on security or bail.
  • noun A pledge, promise, or contract; especially, betrothal.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Hold; grasp.
  • noun obsolete Custody; power of confining or keeping.
  • noun obsolete A contract; specifically, an espousal.
  • adjective obsolete Fast by contract; betrothed by joining hands.
  • transitive verb obsolete To pledge; to bind.
  • transitive verb obsolete To betroth by joining hands, in order to permit cohabitation, before the formal celebration of marriage; in some parts of Scotland it was in effect to marry provisionally, permitting cohabitation for a year, after which the marriage could be formalized or dissolved.
  • adjective rare Strong; steadfast.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective rare Strong; steadfast.
  • noun obsolete A hold, grasp; custody, power of confining or keeping.
  • noun obsolete A contract, agreement, covenant ; specifically betrothal, espousal.
  • verb transitive To pledge; to bind
  • verb transitive, Wicca To betroth by joining hands, in order to allow cohabitation before the celebration of marriage; to marry provisionally.
  • adjective obsolete Fast by contract; betrothed by joining hands.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Middle English hondfast, past participle of hondfesten, to betroth, from Old Norse handfesta, to strike a bargain, pledge : hönd, hand + festa, to fasten, fix, affirm; see past- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

German Handfest, itself from Hand 'hand' + fest 'firm, strong'.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English hondfast, past participle of hondfesten 'to betroth', from Old Norse handfesta 'to strike a bargain, pledge', itself from hönd 'hand' + festa 'to fasten, fix, affirm' (compare see past- in Indo-European roots).

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Examples

  • It seemed he had been married twice before, in a manner of speaking: he had been "handfast" to Janet Beaton, and had lived in common-law marriage with the Norwegian woman.

    Mary Queen Of Scotland And The Isles George, Margaret 1987

  • It seemed he had been married twice before, in a manner of speaking: he had been "handfast" to Janet Beaton, and had lived in common-law marriage with the Norwegian woman.

    Mary Queen Of Scotland And The Isles George, Margaret 1987

  • He wanted her to handfast with him so that he could protect her from the Cursed Ones.

    Crusade Nancy Holder 2010

  • I gave the following quote: In the deliciously epic Bitter Night, Diana Pharaoh Francis has married the Charles de Lint-style old school urban fantasy to the new college of asskickery in a pagan-pirate handfast.

    Ann Aguirre » Blog Archive » 2nd Skin Game Book Orgy 2009

  • They capture Jack and take him to their clan laird, Carson Beal who forces his prisoner to handfast with his troublemaking niece, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Drummond Beal in order to avoid her possible marriage with Gavin Gordon.

    Highland Scandal-Julia London « The Merry Genre Go Round Reviews 2009

  • I'm still working on it, but I'll tell you this much: The heroine, Ailish is a blind witch handfasted to a demon and must find a way to break the handfast or she will die.

    Welcome Jennifer Lyon! Angie Fox 2009

  • I'm still working on it, but I'll tell you this much: The heroine, Ailish is a blind witch handfasted to a demon and must find a way to break the handfast or she will die.

    Archive 2009-11-01 Jess Granger 2009

  • So now you're sort of handfast with God, is that it?

    A Breath of Snow and Ashes Gabaldon, Diana 2005

  • It's not a marriage, exactly-but you can make them handfast-

    A Breath of Snow and Ashes Gabaldon, Diana 2005

  • The fact remained that if he got her into bed, she was his, handfast or wed in a church—it mattered not.

    Tempted by Your Touch JEN HOLLING 2002

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