Phrase guide

hand towel

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈhæn(d)ˌtaʊ(ə)l/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small towel used for drying the hands or face.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a small towel used to dry the hands or face

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: face towel

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: towel

History

Etymology

From Middle English hand towelle, equivalent to hand + towel.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ahtna: ulaʼsdelkedi — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擦手巾 (cāshǒujīn) — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Faroese: handklæði — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Finnish: käsipyyhe — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • French: essuie-main — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • German: Handtuch — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Ingrian: käsihohla — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Italian: asciugamano — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Latin: manutergium — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Luxembourgish: Handduch — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Portuguese: toalha de rosto — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Russian: полоте́нце для рук (poloténce dlja ruk) — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Sogdian: ܕܣܦܪܛܪ (dsprtr) — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Spanish: toalla de mano — towel used for drying the hands or face
  • Tamil: கைக்குட்டை (kaikkuṭṭai) — towel used for drying the hands or face