noun
- a gift given to bring good luck or to celebrate a first use, purchase, or beginning
Usage: archaic
Examples
- The merchant gave each new customer a small handseling with their first purchase.
- As a handseling for the new house, they received a loaf of bread and salt.
- The tradition of giving a handseling on New Year’s Day was common in medieval times.
- She offered a coin as handseling when she first used the new well.
- The handseling ceremony marked the beginning of the harvest season.