An archaic or dialectal plural form of handkerchief; multiple handkerchiefs.
An older English plural form of 'handkerchief' using '-ves' (similar to how 'knife' becomes 'knives'), though modern English standardized it to 'handkerchiefs,' showing how language simplifies irregular plurals over time.
The fact that 'handkerchieves' was once standard shows that English is constantly simplifying—we gradually abandoned quirky plurals like this in favor of regular '-s' endings, making the language easier for children to learn.
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