handtame

• hand-tame

From Middle English handtame, from Old English handtam (“tame enough to be handled”), from Proto-West Germanic *handutam, equivalent to hand +‎ tame. Cognate with Dutch handtam (“handtame”), German Low German handtamm (“handtame”), German handzahm (“handtame”).

handtame (comparative more handtame, superlative most handtame)

1. Tame and accustomed to being held in the hand; (by extension) mild; meek; humble; docile
   • 2003, From The Heart of a Bird - Page 50:

     I badly wanted a little more time to work on training them, but simply couldn't find it — so while they grew up friendly and confident, you couldn't exactly called them handtame.

   • 2011, David Tipling, The Bird Photography Field Guide:

     This is a really popular image with British photographers when photographing Atlantic puffins, which can be hand-tame — indeed, I have had puffins playfully tugging at my laces while sitting on a cliff top!

   • 2015, Cherry Wilder, A Princess of the Chameln:

     Tamir was all her joy. She had him hand-tame, spoiled him most tenderly.

• hand-tameness

handtame (third-person singular simple present handtames, present participle handtaming, simple past and past participle handtamed)

1. To cause (someone or something) to become accustomed to being handled
   • 1964, Senior Citizen, volume 10, page 40:

     Even children can handtame wild birds, if they follow Al Martin's simple directions.

   • 2003, Brats in Feathers, Keeping Canaries - Page 49:

     So now that you've decided to handtame your canary, just where do you start?