An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/handeln

by Friedrich Kluge

handeln, verb, ‘to manage, act, deal, bargain,’ from Middle High German handeln, Old High German hantalôn, ‘to grasp with the hands, touch, feel, prepare, perform’ (hence O. Lorraine handeleir, ‘to sweep’); a derivative of Hand; Handel, masculine, has arisen from the verb handeln merely, just as Ärger from ärgern (see arg), Geiz from geizen, Opfer from opfern — since it does not appear until late Middle High German (handel, masculine, ‘transaction, procedure, event, negotiation, wares’). Anglo-Saxon handlian, English to handle, Anglo-Saxon handele, equivalent to English handle; Scandinavian hǫndla, ‘to treat.’