handtame

See also: hand-tame

English

Alternative forms

hand-tame

Etymology

From Middle English handtame, from Old English handtam (“tame enough to be handled”), from Proto-West Germanic *handutam, equivalent to hand +‎ tame. Cognate with Dutch handtam (“handtame”), German Low German handtamm (“handtame”), German handzahm (“handtame”).

Adjective

handtame (comparative more handtame, superlative most handtame)

Tame and accustomed to being held in the hand; (by extension) mild; meek; humble; docile
- 2003, From The Heart of a Bird - Page 50:
  I badly wanted a little more time to work on training them, but simply couldn't find it — so while they grew up friendly and confident, you couldn't exactly called them handtame.
- 2011, David Tipling, The Bird Photography Field Guide:
  This is a really popular image with British photographers when photographing Atlantic puffins, which can be hand-tame — indeed, I have had puffins playfully tugging at my laces while sitting on a cliff top!
- 2015, Cherry Wilder, A Princess of the Chameln:
  Tamir was all her joy. She had him hand-tame, spoiled him most tenderly.

Derived terms

hand-tameness

Translations

tame and accustomed to being held in the hand; mild; meek; humble; docile

German: handzahm

Verb

handtame (third-person singular simple present handtames, present participle handtaming, simple past and past participle handtamed)

To cause (someone or something) to become accustomed to being handled
- 1964, Senior Citizen, volume 10, page 40:
  Even children can handtame wild birds, if they follow Al Martin's simple directions.
- 2003, Brats in Feathers, Keeping Canaries - Page 49:
  So now that you've decided to handtame your canary, just where do you start?

Translations

to cause to become accustomed to being handled

German: handzahm machen