Handshake

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Handshake

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun and verb

Pronunciation

HAND-shayk  /ˈhændʃeɪk/

Definition

As a noun: a greeting, farewell, or gesture of agreement made by two people grasping and shaking each other's right hands; in computing, the exchange of signals between two systems to establish a connection and agree on communication parameters. As a verb: to greet with or perform a handshake.

Plain meaning

A handshake is the gesture of gripping and shaking someone's hand — to greet them, to seal a deal, or to say goodbye. In computing, it is the automatic negotiation between two systems that establishes how they will communicate.

Register

Neutral and everyday in the social gesture sense. Technical in computing contexts. Golden handshake — a large financial payment to a departing executive — is a financial and journalistic idiom. Handshake deal — an agreement made informally without written contract — reflects the original sealing function of the gesture.