fistful
nounAU, CA, US, UK /ˈfɪstˌfʊl/ · NZ /ˈfəstˌfʊl/
Etymology From fist (noun) + -ful.
1
The amount that can be held in a closed fist.
2
Broadly A small number of something.
- At Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked, he survived to pilot Navy reconnaissance planes again and pick up a fistful of medals, from the Purple Heart to the Distinguished Flying Cross.1967 June 9, “Nation: A Comer Arrives”, in Time:
3
A blow with the fist.