Definition of hand back

The phrase "hand back" is a phrasal verb in English that denotes the action of returning something to its rightful owner or person who has previously possessed it. This verb is formed by combining the preposition "back" with the verb "hand", which means "to give or deliver". The origins of the word "hand" can be traced back to the Old English word "hānd", which was used to refer to both the hand and the act of giving. The Old English word "hæbbe" was used to mean "to have", and the phrase "hāndhābbe" (meaning "to hold") was commonly used. Over time, the Old English word "hāndgeafan" (meaning "to give through the hand") evolved into the Middle English word "hondgafen", which eventually became "hænden" in Early Modern English. This word could be used as a separate term for "to give" or "to deliver", but by the 18th century, it came to be exclusively used as a preposition to indicate a change of direction or movement back. The origin of the word "back" is less clear, and it is thought to have originated from the Old English word "bacan", which meant "the part away from the face or front". Alternatively, it could be derived from the Old Norse word "bakkar", which also meant "to bend or turn around". The combination of "hand" and "back" as a phrasal verb probably emerged in the 17th century as a way to encapsulate the specific action of returning an object to its original state or location. The verb remains widely used in modern English, particularly in formal contexts such as legal or administrative documentation, where it connotes precision and clarity.