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hand·wring·ing or hand wringing

(hăndrĭng′ĭng)

1. Clasping and squeezing of the hands, often in distress.

2. An excessive expression of distress: handwringing by some experts over the state of the economy.

handwring′er, hand wringer n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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