The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Handle \Han"dle\ (h[a^]n"d'l), v. i.
   To use the hands.
   [1913 Webster]

         They have hands, but they handle not.    --Ps. cxv. 7.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Handle \Han"dle\, n. [AS. handle. See Hand.]
   1. That part of vessels, instruments, etc., which is held in
      the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the
      knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. That of which use is made; the instrument for effecting a
      purpose; a tool. --South.
      [1913 Webster]

   To give a handle, to furnish an occasion or means.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Handle \Han"dle\ (h[a^]n"d'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Handled
   (-d'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Handling (-dl[i^]ng).] [OE.
   handlen, AS. handlian; akin to D. handelen to trade, G.
   handeln. See Hand.]
   1. To touch; to feel with the hand; to use or hold with the
      hand.
      [1913 Webster]

            Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh.
                                                  --Luke xxiv.
                                                  39.
      [1913 Webster]

            About his altar, handling holy things. --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield;
      often, to manage skillfully.
      [1913 Webster]

            That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper.
                                                  --Shak.
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   3. To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of,
      with the hands.
      [1913 Webster]

            The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to
            house and handle their colts six months every year.
                                                  --Sir W.
                                                  Temple.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands;
      hence, to buy and sell; as, a merchant handles a variety
      of goods, or a large stock.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. To deal with; to make a business of.
      [1913 Webster]

            They that handle the law knew me not. --Jer. ii. 8.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. To treat; to use, well or ill.
      [1913 Webster]

            How wert thou handled being prisoner? --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   7. To manage; to control; to practice skill upon.
      [1913 Webster]

            You shall see how I will handle her.  --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   8. To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a
      theme, an argument, or an objection.
      [1913 Webster]

            We will handle what persons are apt to envy others.
                                                  --Bacon.
      [1913 Webster]

   To handle without gloves. See under Glove. [Colloq.]
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

handle
    n 1: the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in
         order to use or move it; "he grabbed the hammer by the
         handle"; "it was an old briefcase but it still had a good
         grip" [syn: handle, grip, handgrip, hold]
    v 1: be in charge of, act on, or dispose of; "I can deal with
         this crew of workers"; "This blender can't handle nuts";
         "She managed her parents' affairs after they got too old"
         [syn: manage, deal, care, handle]
    2: interact in a certain way; "Do right by her"; "Treat him with
       caution, please"; "Handle the press reporters gently" [syn:
       treat, handle, do by]
    3: act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression; "This
       book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of Western
       Civilization"; "The new book treats the history of China"
       [syn: cover, treat, handle, plow, deal, address]
    4: touch, lift, or hold with the hands; "Don't handle the
       merchandise" [syn: handle, palm]
    5: handle effectively; "The burglar wielded an axe"; "The young
       violinist didn't manage her bow very well" [syn: wield,
       handle, manage]
    6: show and train; "The prize-winning poodle was handled by Mrs.
       Priscilla Prescott"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

335 Moby Thesaurus words for "handle":
   accomplish, act toward, administer, aim, air, alibi, analyze,
   apology, appellation, appellative, apply, be in,
   be responsible for, bed, bed down, behave toward, bestow, bilge,
   binomen, binomial name, blain, bleb, blind, blister, blob, boss,
   bow, brandish, break, bridle, brush, bubble, bulb, bulge, bulla,
   bump, bunch, burl, button, buy and sell, byname, byword, cahot,
   call the signals, canvass, captain, care for, caress, carry,
   carry on, carry out, carry through, chart a course, chine, cloak,
   clump, cognomen, color, come in contact, command, comment upon,
   complete, cond, conduct, condyle, conn, consider, contend with,
   control, controvert, convex, cope with, cover, cover story,
   cover-up, coxswain, criticize, cryptonym, curry, currycomb,
   deal by, deal in, deal with, debate, deliberate, deliberate upon,
   denomination, descant, designation, device, direct, discharge,
   discourse, discourse about, discuss, dispatch, dispense,
   dispose of, dissert, dissertate, do by, do with, dominate, dowel,
   drench, drive, ear, employ, empty title, enact, engineer, epithet,
   eponym, euonym, examine, exchange views, excuse, execute, exercise,
   exert, exploit, facade, feed, feel, feel of, feint, finger, flange,
   flap, flick, flourish, fodder, fondle, front, gall, gentle, gloss,
   gnarl, go into, govern, grasp, grip, groom, guide, guise, haft,
   harness, have the conn, head, head up, helm, helve, hill, hilt,
   hitch, hold, honor, honorific, hump, hunch, hyponym, inquire into,
   investigate, job, jog, joggle, knob, knock around, knot, knur,
   knurl, label, lame excuse, lay, lead, lead on, level, lip, litter,
   locus standi, loop, lump, make, make go, make the rules,
   make use of, manage, maneuver, manipulate, market, mask,
   mastermind, merchandise, milk, mole, moniker, mountain, name,
   namesake, navigate, nevus, nomen, nomen nudum, nub, nubbin, nubble,
   officer, operate, order, ostensible motive, oversee, palm, palpate,
   papilloma, pass under review, pat, paw, peg, perform, perform on,
   pilot, play, ply, point, poke at, poor excuse, practice, prescribe,
   pretense, pretension, pretext, prod, proper name, proper noun,
   protestation, public motive, pull the strings, put-off,
   quarterback, rap, reason, reason about, reason the point, refuge,
   regulate, remark upon, respond to, retail, review, rib, ridge,
   ring, rub down, run, saddle, scientific name, screen, secret name,
   see to, sell, semblance, serve, shake, sham, shape a course,
   shoulder, show, sift, skipper, smoke screen, sobriquet, spine,
   stalking-horse, steer, steward, stratagem, stud, study, style,
   subterfuge, supervise, survey, swing, tab, tackle, tag, take,
   take care of, take command, take the lead, take up, talk,
   talk about, talk of, talk over, tame, tap, tautonym, tend, test,
   thresh out, thumb, title, touch, touch upon, trade in, traffic in,
   train, transact, treat, treat of, trick, trinomen, trinomial name,
   try, tubercle, tubercule, twiddle, use, utilize, varnish, veil,
   ventilate, verruca, vesicle, wale, wart, water, wave, welt,
   wholesale, wield, work, write up, yoke



The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

handle
 n.

    1. [from CB slang] An electronic pseudonym; a nom de guerre intended to
    conceal the user's true identity. Network and BBS handles function as the
    same sort of simultaneous concealment and display one finds on Citizen's
    Band radio, from which the term was adopted. Use of grandiose handles is
    characteristic of warez d00dz, crackers, weenies, spods, and other
    lower forms of network life; true hackers travel on their own reputations
    rather than invented legendry. Compare nick, screen name.

    2. A magic cookie, often in the form of a numeric index into some array
    somewhere, through which you can manipulate an object like a file or
    window. The form file handle is especially common.

    3. [Mac] A pointer to a pointer to dynamically-allocated memory; the extra
    level of indirection allows on-the-fly memory compaction (to cut down on
    fragmentation) or aging out of unused resources, with minimal impact on the
    (possibly multiple) parts of the larger program containing references to
    the allocated memory. Compare snap (to snap a handle would defeat its
    purpose); see also aliasing bug, dangling pointer.


The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

handle

   1.  A simple item of data that
   identifies a resource.  For example, a Unix file handle
   identifies an open file and associated data such as whether it
   was opened for read or write and the current read/write
   position.  On the Macintosh, a handle is a pointer to a
   pointer to some dynamically-allocated memory.  The extra level
   of indirection allows on-the-fly memory compaction or
   garbage collection without invalidating application program
   references to the allocated memory.

   2.  An alias used intended to conceal a user's true
   identity in an electronic message.  The term is common on
   Citizen's Band and other amateur radio but, in that context
   usually means the user's real name as FCC rules forbid
   concealing one's identity.

   Use of grandiose handles is characteristic of crackers,
   weenies, spods, and other lower forms of network life;
   true hackers travel on their own reputations.

   Compare nick.

   [Jargon File]

   3.  domain handle.

   (2004-07-20)