wristful

English

Etymology

wrist +‎ -ful

Noun

wristful (plural wristfuls or wristsful)

1. A quantity worn on or covering one wrist.
   • 1973, Colin Henfrey, Manscapes: An American Journey, page 132:

     His main customer is known as Rat, a lean, darting, reddish man with a sniff of what could be an Irish accent and a wristful of watches.

   • 1974, Mark F. Heller, Skiing, page 68:

     lt is as well to remember that most falls are forward and downward as far as hands are concerned — and nothing is more uncomfortable than a wristful of icy snow.

   • 1982, Terry Orlick, The Second Cooperative Sports & Games Book, page 52:

     Each child begins with a wristful of rubber bands.

   • 1997, Richard Tillinghast, Today in the Café Trieste, page 13:

     Every gesture of her hands flashed wristsful of sapphires

   • 2008, Linda Newbery, Nevermore:

     Kamila braided Tizzie's hair back, gave her wristfuls of bangles to wear and made up her eyes with kohl, and then she really did look different from her usual self.

2. The amount that can be released by a movement of the wrist
   • 1985, John Broderick, The Rose Tree, page 130:

     He took a brisk wristful of whisky as she raised her glass, then looked at her with a curiously blank stare before breaking the silence.

   • 1999, Ben Elton, Inconceivable, page 81:

     Apparently there's only a couple of decent wrigglers in an entire wristful. For all the macho pride and posturing of us men, most sperm just simply aren't up to it.

3. The amount that can be taken from a wrist.
   • 2014, James Reaney, A Suit of Nettles, page 13:

     Mopsus, is there purpose in the pulse one gathers wristful by wristful?