A touching, controlling, managing, using, taking care of, etc., with the hand or hands, or as with the hands.
baggage handling
1864, Oregon. Legislative Assembly. House of Representatives
[…] at San Francisco it is warehoused and reshipped to Liverpool, or other foreign market; and in exchange for this wheat, comes back the merchandise which has to pass through all these shipments, reshipments, warehousings, handlings, &c.
(obsolete) The mechanism for handling or manipulating something.
(art) The mode of using the pencil or brush; style of touch.