hazel

¹

[ hey-zuhl ]

noun

1. any shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Corylus, of the birch family, having toothed, ovate leaves and bearing edible nuts, as C. avellana, of Europe, or C. americana and C. cornuta, of the Western Hemisphere.
2. any of several other shrubs or trees, as an Australian shrub, Pomaderris apetala.
3. the wood of any of these trees.
4. the hazelnut or filbert.
5. light golden brown, as the color of a hazelnut.

adjective

1. of or relating to the hazel.
2. made of the wood of the hazel.
3. having a light golden-brown color.

Hazel

²

[ hey-zuhl ]

noun

1. a female given name.

hazel

/ ˈheɪzəl /

noun

1. Also calledcob any of several shrubs of the N temperate genus Corylus, esp C. avellana, having oval serrated leaves and edible rounded brown nuts: family Corylaceae
2. the wood of any of these trees
3. short for hazelnut
4. 1. a light yellowish-brown colour
   2. ( as adjective )

      hazel eyes

Other Words From

• hazel·ly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hazel¹

before 900; Middle English hasel; Old English hæs ( e ) l; cognate with German Hasel, Old Norse hasl, Latin corylus hazel shrub

Word History and Origins

Origin of hazel¹

Old English hæsel; related to Old Norse hasl, Old High German hasala, Latin corylus, Old Irish coll

Example Sentences

She is described as being 5 feet 10 and weighing 140 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

From Los Angeles Times

She’s a natural beauty, with her long, sandy blond hair partially tied back accentuating her soulful hazel eyes and infectious smile.

From Los Angeles Times

She has beautiful hazel eyes and long eyelashes, but they’re wide open, barely blinking as she breathes heavily into an oxygen mask that covers most of her little face.

From BBC

There is little diversity on the majority of the 146-acre land, with nearly all fields grazed by sheep, but there are some wetter areas and some hedgerows of blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, oak, gorse and holly.

From BBC

Ten tiny hazel dormice have been given the all-clear by wildlife vets ahead of their release into the wild next month.

From BBC

About This Word

What color are hazel eyes?

Opinions vary on what, exactly, constitutes hazel eyes. Some consider them to be any shade with light brown or gold tones; others think they are a variation of brown eyes, only with more green or gold in the iris.

Where did the term hazel eyes come from?

We’ll never know who the first person who had hazel eyes was, but if they were around today, they would join 5–8% of the world’s population that claims the color.

The term hazel comes from the color of a hazelnut and is recorded describing eyes as early as the 1690s. Whatever the precise shade of hazel is, scientists agree that hazel eyes are caused by light-scattering and melanin. Many online tutorials and makeup products can help you make those coveted, rare hazel eyes pop—much to the envy of others.

How to use the term hazel eyes

Hazel eyes are used to describe the eye color of mostly white populations where there is a mix of people with blue, green, and brown eyes, upping the genetic chance for hazel eyes to occur. However, people of other races have also flashed some hazel-colored peepers, supermodel Tyra Banks is one of the more notable examples.

Another famous holder of hazel eyes would be first-ever American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson. In 2004, she released the single “Behind These Hazel Eyes.” In the chorus, she sings: “…you won’t get to see the tears I cry / Behind these hazel eyes”

The anthem, which details Clarkson’s tormented heart after breaking up with her boyfriend, remained on the Billboard Top Ten for 15 weeks, and is a personal favorite of the singer herself and a tearjerker for her many fans. As Clarkson said in 2005, “Crappy relationships [make for] a good song.”

More examples of hazel eyes:

“Even the graphic designers at Almay can’t seem to settle on a single definition of hazel. Their i-color eyeshadows for hazel eyes are calibrated for golden brown “honeyed hazel.” This is the color they use on their packaging, too. But the display in my drugstore shows a green-brown iris!”
—Kat S, xoJane, June 2015

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.