hobby

¹

[ hob-ee ]

noun

, plural hob·bies.

1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation:

   Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

2. a child's hobbyhorse.
3. Archaic. a small horse.

hobby

²

[ hob-ee ]

noun

, plural hob·bies.

1. a small Old World falcon, Falco subbuteo, formerly flown at such small game as larks.

Hobby

³

[ hob-ee ]

noun

1. Oveta Culp [kuhlp], 1905–1995, U.S. newspaper publisher and government official: first director of Women's Army Corps 1942–45; first Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1953–55.

hobby

¹

/ ˈhɒbɪ /

noun

1. an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation
2. archaic.
   a small horse or pony
3. short for hobbyhorse
4. an early form of bicycle, without pedals

hobby

²

/ ˈhɒbɪ /

noun

1. any of several small Old World falcons, esp the European Falco subbuteo, formerly used in falconry

Derived Forms

• ˈhobbyist, noun

Other Words From

• hob·by·ist noun
• hob·by·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobby¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English hoby(n), probably from Robin, or Robert ( hob ² ), used as horse's name, as in dobbin

Origin of hobby²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoby, from Middle French hobé, variant of Middle French, Old French hobel (compare French hobereau ), probably noun derivative of hobeler “to skirmish, harass,” perhaps from Middle Dutch hob(b)elen “to turn, roll”; compare Dutch hobbelen “to rock, jolt” ( hobble )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobby¹

C14 hobyn, probably variant of proper name Robin; compare dobbin

Origin of hobby²

C15: from Old French hobet, from hobe falcon; probably related to Middle Dutch hobbelen to roll, turn

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. ride a hobby, to concern oneself excessively with a favorite notion or activity. Also ride a hobbyhorse.

Example Sentences

Despite his early stint in sports journalism, he once said: "Sport is my hobby and keeps me sane. I didn't want it to be my job. I always wanted sport to just be sport."

From BBC

Despite that legal history, Medicaid work requirements remain a beloved hobby horse of conservatives.

From Los Angeles Times

Chronic back pain, arthritis and other MSK disorders don't just impact our work — they affect every aspect of life, from picking up our children to enjoying our favorite hobbies.

From Salon

"The purpose of the present study was to examine hobby -- an understudied but prevalent part of the nonwork domain -- to understand if and how MMO gaming positively enriches employees' work domain," said Shirmohammadi.

From Science Daily

Flores is a former software engineer who once worked with bees as a hobby.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amusement
• art
• avocation
• craft
• diversion
• fad
• fun
• obsession
• specialty
• sport