handgrip

Etymology

From Middle English hand grip, handegrip, from Old English handgripe (“handgrip”), from Proto-Germanic *handugripiz (“handgrip”), equivalent to hand + grip. Cognate with Dutch handgreep (“handgrip, grasp”), German Handgriff (“handgrip, grasp, handle, hilt”), Danish håndgreb (“handgrip”), Swedish håndgrepp (“handgrip, handle, hilt”).

noun

1. A handle.
   On a motorcycle, you work the clutch by squeezing a lever on your left handgrip, and you operate the shift lever with your left foot. 2005, Shirley Duglin Kennedy, The Savvy Guide to Motorcycles, page 30
2. A covering (often rubber or foam) on a handle, designed to allow the user a more comfortable or more secure hold on the handle.
   Each cane consists of three parts: (1) the handle (which may or may not be covered by a rubber handgrip), (2) the shaft, and (3) the base (which is usually ... 1994, Verolyn Bolander, Karen Creason Sorensen, Joan Luckmann, Sorensen and Luckmann's basic nursing: a psychophysiologic approach, page 837
3. A handshake; a way of gripping hands with another person.
   There are also "secret" signs and handgrips, which initiates are never supposed to reveal lest they suffer a fate worse than death. March 11, 1988, Cecil Adams, “The Straight Dope”, in Chicago Reader
4. The ability of a person (or other animal with hands) to grip something with a hand.
   The patient's handgrip is also tested for muscle strength. 1988, M.J. Viljoen, L.R. Uys, General nursing: a medical and surgical textbook, Part 1, page 138
5. A grasp or grip; a close struggle.