on hand gan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ana handų gāną, literally “to go into [someone's] hand” (= "hands"). Cognate with Old Norse ganga á hǫnd, cf. Old English gangan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /on ˈxɑnd ˌɡɑːn/, [on ˈhɑnd ˌɡɑːn]

Verb

on hand gān

1. to surrender or give oneself up (+ dative = to someone)
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     Siþþan him ēodon on hand fēowertiġ burga, and six and twēntiġ hē ġeēode mid ġefeohte.

     After that, 40 towns surrendered to him, and he conquered 26 by fighting.

   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     Sume for hungre heora fēondum on hand ēodon and ēcne þēodōm ġehēton.

     Some of them surrendered to their enemies out of hunger and promised to be their slaves forever.

   • c. 935, King Æthelstan's sixth law code

     Ne slēa man nānne ġingran mann þonne fiftīenewinterne mann, būtan hē hine werian wille oþþe flēo and on hand gān nylle.

     No one should be executed who is younger than a fifteen-year-old, unless they resist arrest or try to escape and refuse to give themselves up.

Conjugation

See the conjugation for gān.

Synonyms

• on hand gangan

Derived terms

• handgang