WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Hand"ful
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [AS. handfull.]
Definition : 1. As much as the hand will grasp or contain. Addison.

2. A hand's breadth; four inches. [Obs.] Knap the tongs together about a handful from the bottom. Bacon.

3. A small quantity. This handful of men were tied to very hard duty. Fuller. To have one's handful, to have one's hands full; to have all one can do. [Obs.] They had their handful to defend themselves from firing. Sir. W. Raleigh.

pl. Hand flus.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913