Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Italian hand

noun

Definition of Italian hand

1 : a book hand characterized by roundness and a fine sloping line developed about the 12th century a.d. in Italy from the Roman cursive and revived by calligraphers in the early 15th century and used as the model for the first Italian printers and for modern English handwriting — compare italic
2 : craftiness or subtlety in the conduct of political, business, or personal affairs —usually used in the phrase fine Italian hand

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

Learn More about Italian hand

Share Italian hand

Statistics for Italian hand

Look-up Popularity

Comments on Italian hand

What made you want to look up Italian hand? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

teetotaler

someone who never drinks alcohol

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Homophone Quiz

  • three-bears-two-of-them-look-like-theyre-whispering-to-a-third-bear-who-looks-chuffed-to-be-the-center-of-attention
  • In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a ______.
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games