hair

[ hair ]

noun

1. any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals; a pilus.
2. an aggregate of such filaments, as that covering the human head or forming the coat of most mammals.
3. a similar fine, filamentous outgrowth from the body of insects, spiders, etc.
4. Botany. a filamentous outgrowth of the epidermis.
5. cloth made of hair from animals, as camel and alpaca.
6. a very small amount, degree, measure, magnitude, etc.; a fraction, as of time or space:

   He lost the race by a hair.

hair

/ hɛə /

noun

1. any of the threadlike pigmented structures that grow from follicles beneath the skin of mammals and consist of layers of dead keratinized cells
2. a growth of such structures, as on the human head or animal body, which helps prevent heat loss from the body
3. botany any threadlike outgrowth from the epidermis, such as a root hair
4. 1. a fabric or material made from the hair of some animals
   2. ( as modifier )

      a hair shirt

      a hair carpet

5. another word for hair's-breadth

   to lose by a hair

6. get in someone's hair informal.
   to annoy someone persistently
7. hair of the dog or hair of the dog that bit one
   an alcoholic drink taken as an antidote to a hangover
8. keep your hair on! informal.
   keep calm
9. let one's hair down
   to behave without reserve
10. not turn a hair
    to show no surprise, anger, fear, etc
11. split hairs
    to make petty and unnecessary distinctions

hair

/ hâr /

1. One of the fine strands that grow from the skin of mammals, usually providing insulation against the cold. Modified hairs sometimes serve as protective defenses, as in the quills of a porcupine or hedgehog, or as tactile organs, as in the whiskers (called vibrissae ) of many nocturnal mammals. Hair filaments are a modification of the epidermis of the skin and are composed primarily of keratin. Hair also contains melanin, which determines hair color.
2. A slender growth resembling a mammalian hair, found on insects and other animals.
3. A fine, threadlike growth from the epidermis of plants.
4. See more at trichome

Derived Forms

• ˈhairˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• hair·like adjective
• de·hair verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hair¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English heer, Old English hǣr (cognate with Dutch, German haar, Old Norse hār ), with vowel perhaps from Middle English haire “hair shirt,” from Old French, from Old High German hāria (cognate with Middle English here, Old English hǣre, Old Norse hǣra )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hair¹

Old English hær; related to Old Norse hār, Old High German hār hair, Norwegian herren stiff, hard, Lettish sari bristles, Latin crescere to grow

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get in someone's hair, Slang. to annoy or bother someone:

   Their snobbishness gets in my hair.

2. hair of the dog, Informal. a drink of liquor, supposed to relieve a hangover: Also hair of the dog that bit one.

   Even a hair of the dog didn't help his aching head.

3. let one's hair down, Informal.
   1. to relax; behave informally:

      He finally let his hair down and actually cracked a joke.

   2. to speak candidly or frankly; remove or reduce restraints:

      He let his hair down and told them about his anxieties.

4. make one's hair stand on end, to strike or fill with horror; terrify:

   The tales of the jungle made our hair stand on end.

5. split hairs, to make unnecessarily fine or petty distinctions:

   To argue about whether they arrived at two o'clock or at 2:01 is just splitting hairs.

6. tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, or anger: Also tear one's hair out.

   He's tearing his hair over the way he was treated by them.

7. to a hair, perfect to the smallest detail; exactly:

   The reproduction matched the original to a hair.

8. without turning a hair, without showing the least excitement or emotion. Also not turn a hair.

More idioms and phrases containing hair

• bad hair day
• by a hair
• by the short hairs
• fair-haired boy
• get gray hair from
• hang by a thread (hair)
• hide or hair
• in someone's hair
• let one's hair down
• make one's hair stand on end
• put lead in one's pencil (hair on one's chest)
• split hairs
• tear one's hair
• turn a hair

Example Sentences

He has black hair, black eyes, is 5 feet 9 inches tall, and weighs 180 pounds.

From Los Angeles Times

With his Buddy Holly glasses, scruffy boho beard, floppy hair and turtleneck sweater, Adams — who is called the Big Lad — is lazily charismatic, with the precociously paternal air of a cool, or seemingly cool, assistant professor — he calls Dolours, who in real life was only two years younger, “child.”

From Los Angeles Times

Bailey lets her displeasure be known by having a friend shave off her beautiful spray of kinky hair.

From Los Angeles Times

People seem very upset about the idea that the government is spending money spraying bobcat pee on rats, but here’s the thing: There are many rodent studies that waft bobcat pee, cat hair, fox odor, and more at mice.

From Slate

He was tall and brawny, with leafy brown hair.

From Salon

Related Words

• eyebrow
• fiber
• fur
• grass
• haircut
• hairstyle
• mane
• sideburn
• strand
• wig
• wool