handfast

noun

1. A hold, grasp; custody, power of confining or keeping.

   obsolete

   The hand-fast to her lord. I have given him that

   And the remembrancer of her to hold

2. A contract, agreement, covenant; specifically betrothal, espousal.

   obsolete

Where it comes from

From Middle English hondfast, past participle of Middle English hondfesten (“to betroth”), from Old Norse handfesta (“to strike a bargain, pledge”), itself from hönd (“hand”) + festa (“to fasten, fix, affirm”), perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European root *pHst-.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry handfast (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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