handeln

From Middle High German handeln, from Old High German hantalōn, from Proto-Germanic *handlōną.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhandəln/, [ˈhändl̩n]

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handeln (third-person singular simple present handelt, past tense handelte, past participle gehandelt, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to act; to take action

   Jeder ist dafür verantwortlich, wie er handelt.

   Everybody is responsible for the way they act.

   Wir müssen handeln, bevor es zu spät ist.

   We must take action before it is too late.

2. (intransitive) to negotiate; to bargain; to haggle

   Da lass ich nicht mit mir handeln.

   I won’t bargain about this.

3. (intransitive with mit) to trade in; to deal; to sell

   Er handelt mit Teppichen. ― He trades in carpets.

4. (transitive, stock exchange and the like) to trade

   Eine Aktiengesellschaft ist eine Firma, die an der Börse gehandelt wird.

   A stock company is an enterprise that is traded in the stock market.

   • 2010, Der Spiegel, issue 46/2010, page 95:

     In Toronto werden mehr als 1400 Bergbaubetriebe gehandelt, jede Woche kommen im Schnitt drei Unternehmen hinzu.

     More than 1400 mining companies are traded in Toronto, three companies are added each week on average.

5. (transitive, figuratively) to tip as; to take into consideration as being

   Er wird als der nächste Superstar gehandelt.

   He’s being tipped as the next superstar.

6. (intransitive, with von, of a person, formal, literary) to discuss; to deal with; to write or speak about

   Der Autor handelt auf 32 Seiten von dieser Nebensächlichkeit.

   The author discusses this marginal issue in 32 pages.

7. (intransitive, with von, of a text, film, etc.) to be about; to deal with

   Das Buch handelt von Hasen. ― The book is about hares.

8. (impersonal, reflexive, with um) to be

   Es handelt sich um ein Missverständnis.

   It is a misunderstanding.

   Bei diesen Tieren handelt es sich um Hasen.

   These animals are hares.

   (literally, “In these animals it deals itself about hares.”)

• dealen

• handeln in Duden online

From English to handle. Doublet of etymology 1.

• händeln

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛnd(ə)ln/

handeln (third-person singular simple present handelt, past tense handelte, past participle gehandelt, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive, informal) to handle something; to control; to deal with in an organised fashion

   Synonyms: handhaben, bewältigen

   Wir müssen sehen, wie wir dieses Problem handeln.

   We must find a way of handling this problem.

• Rare in writing for confusability with etymology 1, but fairly common in speech, chiefly in business and media slang.
• The form händeln is sometimes used when quoting speech in writing.

• Handling

• handeln in Duden online

handeln

1. definite singular of handel