haze

¹

[ heyz ]

noun

1. an aggregation in the atmosphere of very fine, widely dispersed, solid or liquid particles, or both, giving the air an opalescent appearance that subdues colors.
2. vagueness or obscurity, as of the mind or perception; confused or vague thoughts, feelings, etc.:

   The victims were still in a haze and couldn't describe the accident.

verb (used with or without object)

, hazed, haz·ing.

1. to make or become hazy.

haze

²

[ heyz ]

verb (used with object)

, hazed, haz·ing.

1. to subject (freshmen, newcomers, etc.) to abusive or humiliating tricks and ridicule.
2. Chiefly Nautical. to harass with unnecessary or disagreeable tasks.

haze

¹

/ heɪz /

noun

1. meteorol
   1. reduced visibility in the air as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc, in the atmosphere
   2. the moisture or dust causing this
2. obscurity of perception, feeling, etc

verb

1. whenintr, often foll by over to make or become hazy

haze

²

/ heɪz /

verb

1. to subject (fellow students) to ridicule or abuse
2. nautical to harass with humiliating tasks

Derived Forms

• ˈhazer, noun

Other Words From

• hazeless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haze¹

First recorded in 1700–10; perhaps noun use of unattested Middle English hase; Old English hasu, variant of haswa “ashen, dusky”; hazy, hare

Origin of haze²

First recorded in 1670–80, haze is from the Middle French word haser to irritate, annoy

Word History and Origins

Origin of haze¹

C18: back formation from hazy

Origin of haze²

C17: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

see in a fog (haze) .

Synonym Study

See cloud.

Example Sentences

It’s a haze that features four women shilling themselves out for a hot date with a Chalamet.

From Salon

Before the game Tuesday, Nike released a commercial where James filled Bronny’s car with Fruity Pebbles cereal in a rookie hazing.

From Los Angeles Times

Because the smoke is high up, there is no risk to people's health and the haze is expected to have moved on by Tuesday morning.

From BBC

She wrote in a statement that a woman in a “drug-induced haze” had confronted her family while at a restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times

The chile season, which lasts from late summer through the fall and envelops New Mexico in a haze of fragrant smoke from all the roasting, had begun a few weeks earlier.

From Los Angeles Times

About This Word

What else does haze mean?

Haze is a noun or adjective referring to a type of LSD (acid) or marijuana … typically purple haze.

Hazing, on the other hand, is an initiation ritual where people are subjected to all kinds of cruel and unusual tasks or humiliations.

Where does haze come from?

The controversial practice known as hazing has been around since at least the mid-19th century. The origins of the word hazing are uncertain (could be from a French root for “harass”), but it is thought that the practice started on ships where captains would haze new members of the crew by making them do meaningless, backbreaking work, like de-threading rope.

By 1848, upperclassmen on university campuses like Harvard would haze, or force all kinds of horrible tasks upon, underclassmen. Early printed uses of this expression usually involve disciplinary hearings for this kind of behavior … yet, it continued.

Early record of haze as a noun for “mist” or “fog” dates to the 18th century. 1960s drug culture haze borrowed this meaning to refer to hallucinogens or weed that make you feel like you’re in a haze.

The drug haze was popularized by Jimi Hendrix on his rock classic “Purple Haze” in 1967. The song is often taken as a description of being on an acid trip. He famously performed the track at the Monterey International Pop Festival that year, and the name Purple Haze became associated with psychedelic drugs ever since.

In the 1970s, the conveniently named Haze brothers began developing a potent (“dank”) strain of weed, a sativa that they dubbed Haze. That story sounds too good to be true, but growers from the U.S. brought seeds of such a strain to Amsterdam by the 1980s, where it was crossed with others to create weed like Lemon Haze.

References to haze weed emerged in hip-hop music in the 1990s, such as in Cypress Hill’s 1998 “High Times.” From there, haze became shorthand for marijuana generally, not just the specific haze weed strain.

How is haze used in real life?

Haze often refers to smoggy conditions and skies that are smoky from fires.

It’s also still used as a word for marijuana, both specific strains and pot, more generally. People use it as a noun (e.g., I picked up a quarter of some good haze the other day) or adjective (e.g., haze weed). People will often use haze to describe the smoky environments that stoners hang out in too.

Hazing continues on high school and on college campuses, especially when joining teams, clubs, or other organizations like fraternities and sororities. Many have died from hazing, often as the result of alcohol poisoning or beatings, as many hazing rituals involve excessive drinking or physical abuse. Florida A&M marching band member Robert Champion notably, and tragically, died from hazing in 2011, which helped thrust the problem of hazing into the public spotlight.

More examples of haze:

“What they’re hoping is I’ll go away…I won’t go away. They didn’t just haze my son. They killed my son.”
—Deborah Tipton’ quoted by John Hechinger, Bloomberg, September, 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.