handlike

1 4.4

Shaped like a human hand and able to hold things

adjective
/ˈhændˌlaɪk/

: similar a una mano

The robot was designed with handlike claws that could easily grasp small objects.

Examples

Like a dropping tear, it rolled down the side and sank below a cluster of stubby, handlike stems.

Fiction book (1998)
Some plants have handlike leaves that seem to reach out for sunlight.
The creature's handlike appendages allowed it to manipulate tools with ease.

Synonyms

glove-like

vshandlike

1 3.5

Having separate parts for each finger so each fits into its own space

focuses on actual grasping and manipulation ability rather than merely shape

Antonyms

handless

1 7.4

Not having one or both hands

nonprehensile

Specialized

9.9

Cannot hold things with a body part, for example a tail or foot

How Handlike

prehensile

Specialized

3 8.2

handlike

1 4.4

Surface Forms

handlike positive

Morphology

handlike = hand (transparent) = like + hand

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'hand' plus the productive suffix '-like' meaning 'resembling', so learners knowing 'hand' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word handlike is made from the everyday word hand ('the body part') and the ending -like meaning 'similar to'. So handlike means 'similar to a hand' or 'acting like a hand', and we use it for things that look or work like a hand and can grab or hold objects.