Definitions: (1) well-proportioned in appearance; good-looking; attractive; dapper; (2) graceful in manner; possessing propriety and respectful ease; adroit; (3) moderately elegant; neat; correct; (4) liberal; generous; gracious
Derivation: Middle English, originally “easy to handle or use,” hence “suitable, apt, clever.”
Quotes:
• A good haircut is nice; after that you need to speak a few reasonable sentences. — Michael Andrew Hanna, 100 Thought Adjusters {2007}
• The world is full of hopeful analogies and handsome, dubious eggs, called possibilities. — Mary Anne Evans [pen name: George Eliot] (1819-1880) English writer & translator
Comment: There are handsome men, handsome women, handsome buildings, and handsome presents. It is a versatile adjective. To understand a word symbol, one needs to perceive the feeling behind it’s use.