From Old English handle, literally 'that which is held in the hand' — hand + instrumental suffix -le.
The part of a tool, door, or container by which it is held, carried, or controlled.
From Old English handle 'handle,' from hand + the instrumental suffix -le (as in thimble from thumb). Literally 'that which is held in the hand.' The verbal sense 'to manage, deal with' is from the 1580s. Key roots: *hand- (Proto-Germanic: "hand").