Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A small square of cloth used especially for wiping the nose or mouth.
- n. A large piece of cloth worn as a decorative article; a scarf.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A square piece of cloth, usually linen or silk, carried about the person for the purpose of wiping the face or nose. Silk handkerchiefs embroidered and fringed, or laced with gold, are mentioned as early as the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the modern lace handkerchief has often but a very small center-piece of solid or plain material.
- n. A neckcloth: a neckerchief.
- To use a handkerchief; make signals with a handkerchief.
Wiktionary
- n. A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.
- n. A piece of cloth shaped like a handkerchief to be worn about the neck; a neckerchief or neckcloth.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face or hands.
- n. A piece of cloth shaped like a handkerchief to be worn about the neck; a neckerchief; a neckcloth.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
Etymologies
- From hand + kerchief. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Although I have spoken Romanian for decades, it was only while talking with Oskar Pastior that I realized that the Romanian word for handkerchief is batistă.”
“The drawer was a family portrait in handkerchief format.”
“Pantyhose are the funniest when you have to assit. they just keep coming, like the handkerchief from the clown's mouth.”
“With his left hand he pulled a large white handkerchief from the pocket of his black coat, and with it he wiped off the knife and his gloved right hand which had been holding it; then he put the handkerchief away.”
“The way of carrying money in the corner of a pocket-handkerchief is still common.”
“Whenever a lamp flashed in at us, I had a glimpse of her progress toward composure -- now she was drying her eyes with the bit of lace she called a handkerchief; now her bare arms were up, and with graceful fingers she was arranging her hair; now she was straight and still, the soft, fluffy material with which her wrap was edged drawn close about her throat.”
“She checked her sobs, wiped her eyes with a morsel of lace she called a handkerchief, and, sweeping in a stately manner to the door, said, with the extreme of patrician hauteur:”
“The cow-boy then took out an old dirty rag, which I suppose he called a handkerchief, unfolded it, and produced three cards, saying, "Them thar fellows gave me these ar cards, and I'm going to larn that ar game, so as when I get back to Texas I can beat all the boys.”
“I tried to shield my face with my fan and at last regained my composure, and tried, in sly fashion, to dry my eyes with the bit of lace I called my handkerchief, and which I found a very poor substitute for the substantial lawn hitherto used.”
“Her arms were bare, and a muslin handkerchief was folded across her chest.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘handkerchief’.
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Handy Words
List of words and phrases referring to the hand, hands, fist, or derivatives of the Latin manus, beginning with left-handed.
left-handed, double-fisted, fisticuffs, handy, right-handed, two-handed, manual, manumission, manuscript, manually, manustupration, manudiction and 164 more...
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EN - eesily missspellable wirds
accessible, accommodate, achievement, acquaintance, address, advertisement, alleged, athletics, attendance, auxiliary, believe, challenge and 118 more...
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I'b sorry. I hab a cold.
Barious items you bight need when you hab a cold.
Kleenex, cough drops, cough syrup, hand sanitizer, water, orange juice, hankie, handkerchief, Purple Drank, tissues, decongestant, expectorant and 16 more...
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Handkerchiefs, etc.
handkerchief, kerchief, veronica, sudary, sudarium, hankie, keverchief, neckcloth, neckerchief, maniple, orarium, bandana and 41 more...
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BuffaloBen's Words
sycamore, wipfel, rohlingsspindel, gorgeous, flamboyance, anschmiegen, pengpeng, zuckerhut, revolver, troubleshooter, breeze, dandy and 228 more...
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eggplantia5's Words
scintillate, marvel, cranberry, oscillate, triumph, bamboozle, grimace, magical, book, hexagon, cipher, compendium and 2727 more...
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Words I like
This is a list of my favourite words (phrases) in english, as a second language. I love them mostly because of how they sound and their meaning.
ninja, cookie, skill, zip, plentiful, digg, debris, pancake, cucumber, fetch, pot, backpack and 461 more...
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whitmanian
from the poetry and prose of walt whitman
celebrate, assume, loafe, grass, summer, distillation, atmosphere, undisguised, naked, mad, breath, loveroot and 291 more...
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Compounds That Look Freakish
You know who you are, freakish compounds. Though very useful, some of these words just don't seem right together--or, their meanings are so far from what the two (or more) component words suggest t...
nightjar, bullfinch, grassquit, bananaquit, ovenbird, waxwing, stonechat, wheatear, bushtit, wrentit, starthroat, godwit and 158 more...
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Nullologue
nullologue, vaudeville, debauchery, debauched, libertine, nothing, dhadak, tz pf, nothingology, goodbyeology, sharmuta, manifesto and 866 more...
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the worshipful company of haberdashers
NB: this list being not limited to haberdashery in the strictest sense, but also including items of the milliner's trade, the mercer's trade, and the tailor's trade, it is to be noted that I just r...
button, ribbon, damask, silk, satin, wool, gabardine, felt, trilby, haberdashery, velvet, linen and 138 more...
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2007bee-r02
2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee Round 2
query, tendency, danceable, parachute, malignant, brutal, humanely, lyrically, deductible, shindig, gravel, embroidered and 274 more...
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girly
handkerchief, pony tail, tantrum, temper, make up, threading, waxing, hand bags, glitter, manicured nails, pink, dreamy and 6 more...
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Patchwork
Square or rectangular pieces of fabric of various uses.
swatch, handkerchief, neckerchief, bandana, fogle, napkin, scarf, kaffiyeh, serviette, washcloth, placemat, mola and 16 more...
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MEC2 Lesson 122
sarcasm, irony, moneymaking, come up with, derisive, gesture, theatrical, ideology, dominant, satire, gavel, bang and 13 more...
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Master and Commander
An Aubrey/Maturin list.
God help me.
I blame chained_bear.prize-agent, master and commander, trabacaloes, xebecs, hipped, truckling, Bakewell tart, Eccles cake, suet pudding, slop-ship, copperplate, tramontana and 57 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for handkerchief.
whichbe A euphemism for noserag. Jan 9, 2009
pterodactyl See this map for American pronunciation. Apr 10, 2008
oroboros Daffynition: cold storage. Jan 6, 2007