Download the app
educalingo
Search
Nature best teaches how to pray, and how to reverence all the gifts the Almighty has given us. She is like a vast outspread handkerchief, embroidered with God's eternal name, on which we may dry alike our tears of sorrow and of joy; she turns weeping into ecstasy, and fills our hearts with speechless, quiet reverence and resignation.
Robert Schumann

Meaning of "handkerchief" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF HANDKERCHIEF

handkerchief  [ˈhæŋkətʃɪf] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HANDKERCHIEF

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Handkerchief is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES HANDKERCHIEF MEAN IN ENGLISH?

handkerchief

Handkerchief

A handkerchief /ˈhæŋkərtʃɪf/, also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose. A handkerchief is also sometimes used as a purely decorative accessory in a suit pocket.

Definition of handkerchief in the English dictionary

The definition of handkerchief in the dictionary is a small square of soft absorbent material, such as linen, silk, or soft paper, carried and used to wipe the nose, etc.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH HANDKERCHIEF


kerchief
ˈkɜːtʃɪf
mischief
ˈmɪstʃɪf
neckerchief
ˈnɛkətʃɪf
pocket-handkerchief
ˌpɒkɪtˈhæŋkətʃɪf
Schiff
ʃɪf

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE HANDKERCHIEF

handicraftsman
handier
handiest
handily
handiness
handism
handiwork
handjar
handjob
handkercher
handlanger
handle
handle with kid gloves
handleable
handlebar
handlebar moustache
handlebars
handled
handleless
handler

WORDS THAT END LIKE HANDKERCHIEF

big Chief
big White Chief
car thief
chief
commander in chief
commander-in-chief
commanders in chief
editor in chief
editor-in-chief
examination-in-chief
examinations-in-chief
examine-in-chief
fire chief
in chief
paper handkerchief
police chief
sneak thief
subchief
tenant-in-chief
thief

Synonyms and antonyms of handkerchief in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «HANDKERCHIEF»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «handkerchief» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of handkerchief

Translation of «handkerchief» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF HANDKERCHIEF

Find out the translation of handkerchief to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of handkerchief from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «handkerchief» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

手绢
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

pañuelo
570 millions of speakers

English

handkerchief
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

रूमाल
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

مِنْدِيل
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

носовой платок
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

lenço
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

রুমাল
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

mouchoir
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Sapu tangan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Taschentuch
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ハンカチ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

손수건
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Sapu tangan
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

khăn mùi xoa
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கைக்குட்டை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

हातरुमाल
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

mendil
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

fazzoletto
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

chusteczka
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

хусточка
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

batistă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

μαντήλι
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

sakdoek
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

näsduk
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

lommetørkle
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of handkerchief

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «HANDKERCHIEF»

The term «handkerchief» is quite widely used and occupies the 36.536 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
83
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «handkerchief» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of handkerchief
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «handkerchief».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «HANDKERCHIEF» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «handkerchief» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «handkerchief» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about handkerchief

EXAMPLES

6 QUOTES WITH «HANDKERCHIEF»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word handkerchief.
1
Herb Caen
Just two days in Manhattan and you find yourself looking for a place to wash your handkerchief after you wipe your forehead and it comes away black. Is there a dirtier or more fascinating city anywhere in the land? The answer to both parts of the question has to be positively negative.
2
Randy Houser
Granny beads are what they're called when a grandma works the garden all day - you always see them - they have a handkerchief around their neck with a lot of dust on them, and then the sweat will go down and make these black beads of sweat and dirt around their neck. And that's what they call granny beads.
3
Jude Law
I sometimes shy away because I don't want to be too 'showy-offy' but the older I get I think, 'You have a handkerchief, put it in your pocket.'
4
Greg Lynn
Before computers, you'd start designing using shapes of cubes. Now I can start with something like a handkerchief, an object that doesn't have strong inside and outside boundaries or much closed volume.
5
Rachel Maddow
A handkerchief can never be put in another pocket after it has been in one pocket. I don't walk under ladders. I have items of clothing that are lucky for me. That rotates, but I am luck-oriented.
6
Robert Schumann
Nature best teaches how to pray, and how to reverence all the gifts the Almighty has given us. She is like a vast outspread handkerchief, embroidered with God's eternal name, on which we may dry alike our tears of sorrow and of joy; she turns weeping into ecstasy, and fills our hearts with speechless, quiet reverence and resignation.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HANDKERCHIEF»

Discover the use of handkerchief in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to handkerchief and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief
Winner of the John Gassner Playwriting Award.
Paula Vogel, 1994
2
The Universe in a Handkerchief: Lewis Carroll's Mathematical ...
This book contains scores of Carroll's inventions, illustrating the genius and humor that ensured his permanent place in both classic literature and mathematics.
Martin Gardner, 2005
3
Self-Working Handkerchief Magic: 61 Foolproof Tricks
A Novel Production A handkerchief is borrowed and draped over the right hand. The left hand reaches under the handkerchief and produces a wand. The wand is waved over the handkerchief. Then the magician reaches under the ...
Karl Fulves, 2012
4
Turning Points In Qualitative Research: Tying Knots in a ...
Reader outlining key developments in the recent history of interpretive social science methods.
Lincoln, Denzin, 2004
5
Pappy's Handkerchief
In 1889, young Moses and his family sell everything they own and leave their Baltimore, Maryland, home to join many other settlers--black and white--in a race to claim land in the newly-opened territory of Oklahoma. 10,000 first printing.
Devin Scillian, 2007
6
Black Silk Handkerchief: A Hom-Astubby Mystery
Hom-Astubby, a Choctaw lawyer-turned-photographer, suddenly finds himself at the center of the biggest manhunt and the biggest media event in Colorado's history when he befriends a huge abandoned dog while on vacation.
D. L. Birchfield, 2006
7
The Sun'S Handkerchief
On A Rainy Day, The Sun Catches A Bad Cold. Sister Flora Weaves Him A Beautiful Handkerchief Made Of Seven Colours - Vibgyor! A Must For All The Little Ones.
‎2001
8
Hanky Panky: An Intimate History of the Handkerchief
For those who grew up before Kleenex tissue came on the scene, this volume will bring back the glory days, when handkerchiefs were an indispensable part of every woman'¬?s wardrobe and toilette.
Helen Gustafson, 2002
9
Handkerchief Quilts
Supplanted by paper tissues, handkerchiefs became ornamental. From those creations, textile and quilt teacher Gardner has developed a new genre of quilts to be used as wall hangings.
Pat Long Gardner, 1993
10
The French Governess; Or, The Embroidered Handkerchief
Now, does not this alter the matter about the pocket-handkerchief? It would be mean in me not to have a hundred-dollar handkerchief when I could get one." " It may alter the matter as to the extravagance ; but it does not alter it as to the fitness.
James Fenimore Cooper, 1843

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HANDKERCHIEF»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term handkerchief is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Peter Cundall: It's worth the wait for spectacular trees to bloom
After planting, most handkerchief trees take up to 10 years or more before beginning to flower. That's no big deal. After all, the secret of good ... «Weekly Times Now, Jul 15»
2
John Adams: Youngster didn't take long to become a Joshua Dobbs …
He wore an orange-and-white checked shirt, a tie with orange stripes and added an orange handkerchief to his left coat pocket. He talked a ... «Knoxville News Sentinel, Jul 15»
3
TMS: the key to being a functioning Test cricket addict - The Guardian
... delivered with the weary and frustrated air of an elderly English teacher explaining the significance of the strawberry-spotted handkerchief for ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
4
12 French Beauty Secrets and Lifestyle Tips to Enjoy | StyleCaster
In her book, Thomas admits she likes to spray it on a cotton handkerchief then place it in her bag so the scent lingers longer. 4. Take time for ... «StyleCaster, Jul 15»
5
Old Bridge native takes clowning very seriously
The years and smiles have run together like the endless handkerchief trick. He's played to an audience that included the Leader of the Free ... «MyCentralJersey.com, Jul 15»
6
Buhari okays N160 to $1 for Christian pilgrims - The Nation
... to get a shilled bottled water and a white handkerchief which we did, ... wash my brother's head and use the handkerchief to clean the head, ... «The Nation Newspaper, Jul 15»
7
Vanderbilt lineman survives SEC Media Days gauntlet
... 19 separate interview rooms, four water bottles, three restroom breaks and one soggy sweat-soaked black handkerchief for the 300-pounder ... «The Tennessean, Jul 15»
8
Seroba guilty of killing wife and sister-in-law - Crime & Courts | IOL …
You don't know how remorseful I am,” he said, before his brother handed him a handkerchief to wipe his tears. But family members showed no ... «Independent Online, Jul 15»
9
Pate pleads no contest in Highway 14 wrong-way freeway murders
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” he said, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. “My chin was shattered and my teeth were knocked out,” he said. “My eye ... «Santa Clarita Valley Signal, Jul 15»
10
KVOA | KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona - Crime Trackers: Victims …
“A handkerchief from my uncle from the Vietnam war, notes, and that was it, just a little bit,” said Williams. They returned a few days later to the hotel hoping to ... «KVOA Tucson News, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Handkerchief [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/handkerchief>. Apr 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z