A cold, grey, sometimes skeletal hand. It may belong to a known deceased, or stay anonymous. It doesn't always threaten: sometimes it simply rests.
The emotional tone
Initial fear often transforming into sadness, or contemplative silence.
Symbolic meaning
Dreaming of a dead hand announces nothing dire. In oneiric tradition, this symbol speaks of a cycle's end, a passage, something asking to be buried, not necessarily someone.
The palmistry link
Palmistry teaches that the palm keeps traces of former selves. This dream often summons a past hand, the one you had ten years ago, to remind you where you came from.
What this dream signals in your life
This dream arrives during grieving, not only of people but of a way of being. It accompanies more than it predicts.
The dead hand in a dream is never yours. It's the one you carry and that's time to lay down.