Adjacent Words

Hair definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HAIR, n.
1. A small filament issuing from the skin of an animal, and from a bulbous root. Each filament contains a tube or hollow within, occupied by a pulp or pith, which is intended for its nutrition,and extends only to that part which is in a state of growth.
When hair means a single filament,it has a plural,hairs.
2. The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming an integument or covering; as the hair of the head. Hair is the common covering of many beasts. When the filaments are very fine and short, the collection of them is called fur. Wool, also, is a kind of hair. When hair signifies a collection of these animal filaments, it has no plural.
3. Any thing very small or fine; or a very small distance; the breadth of a hair. He judges to a hair, that is, very exactly.
4. A trifling value. It is not worth a hair.
5. Course; order; grain; the hair falling in a certain direction. [Not used.]
You go against the hair of your profession.
6. Long, straight and distinct filaments on the surface of plants; a species of down or pubescence.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss; "he combed his hair"; "each hair consists of layers of dead keratinized cells"
2: a very small distance or space; "they escaped by a hair's-breadth"; "they lost the election by a whisker" [syn: hair's-breadth, hairsbreadth, hair, whisker]
3: filamentous hairlike growth on a plant; "peach fuzz" [syn: hair, fuzz, tomentum]
4: any of the cylindrical filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal; "there is a hair in my soup" [syn: hair, pilus]
5: cloth woven from horsehair or camelhair; used for upholstery or stiffening in garments [syn: haircloth, hair]
6: a filamentous projection or process on an organism

Merriam Webster's

noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English h?r; akin to Old High German h?r hair Date: before 12th century 1. a. a slender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal; especially one of the usually pigmented filaments that form the characteristic coat of a mammal b. the hairy covering of an animal or a body part; especially the coating of hairs on a human head 2. haircloth 3. a. a minute distance or amount <won by a hair> b. a precise degree <aligned to a hair> 4. obsolete nature, character 5. a filamentous structure that resembles hair <leaf hair> • hairless adjective • hairlessness noun • hairlike adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of mammals, esp. from the human head. b these collectively (his hair is falling out). 2 a an artificially produced hairlike strand, e.g. in a brush. b a mass of such hairs. 3 anything resembling a hair. 4 an elongated cell growing from the epidermis of a plant. 5 a very small quantity or extent (also attrib.: a hair crack). Phrases and idioms: get in a person's hair colloq. encumber or annoy a person. hair-drier (or -dryer) an electrical device for drying the hair by blowing warm air over it. hair-grass any of various grasses, esp. of the genus Deschampsia, Corynephous, Aira, etc., with slender stems. hair of the dog see DOG. hair-raising extremely alarming; terrifying. hair's breadth a very small amount or margin. hair shirt a shirt of haircloth, worn formerly by penitents and ascetics. hair-shirt adj. (attrib.) austere, harsh, self-sacrificing. hair-slide Brit. a (usu. ornamental) clip for keeping the hair in position. hair-splitter a quibbler. hair-splitting adj. & n. making overfine distinctions; quibbling. hair-trigger a trigger of a firearm set for release at the slightest pressure. keep one's hair on Brit. colloq. remain calm; not get angry. let one's hair down colloq. abandon restraint; behave freely or wildly. make one's hair stand on end alarm or horrify one. not turn a hair remain apparently unmoved or unaffected. Derivatives: haired adj. (also in comb.). hairless adj. hairlike adj. Etymology: OE hær f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hair Hair, n. [OE. her, heer, h[ae]r, AS. h[=ae]r; akin to OFries, h[=e]r, D. & G. haar, OHG. & Icel. h[=a]r, Dan. haar, Sw. h[*a]r; cf. Lith. kasa.] 1. The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part or the whole of the body. 2. One the above-mentioned filaments, consisting, in invertebrate animals, of a long, tubular part which is free and flexible, and a bulbous root imbedded in the skin. Then read he me how Sampson lost his hairs. --Chaucer. And draweth new delights with hoary hairs. --Spenser. 3. Hair (human or animal) used for various purposes; as, hair for stuffing cushions. 4. (Zo["o]l.) A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth. 5. An outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated. Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the yellow frog lily (Nuphar). 6. A spring device used in a hair-trigger firearm. 7. A haircloth. [Obc.] --Chaucer. 8. Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth. Note: Hairs is often used adjectively or in combination; as, hairbrush or hair brush, hair dye, hair oil, hairpin, hair powder, a brush, a dye, etc., for the hair. Against the hair, in a rough and disagreeable manner; against the grain. [Obs.] ``You go against the hair of your professions.'' --Shak. Hair bracket (Ship Carp.), a molding which comes in at the back of, or runs aft from, the figurehead. Hair cells (Anat.), cells with hairlike processes in the sensory epithelium of certain parts of the internal ear. Hair compass, Hair divider, a compass or divider capable of delicate adjustment by means of a screw. Hair glove, a glove of horsehair for rubbing the skin. Hair lace, a netted fillet for tying up the hair of the head. --Swift. Hair line, a line made of hair; a very slender line. Hair moth (Zo["o]l.), any moth which destroys goods made of hair, esp. Tinea biselliella. Hair pencil, a brush or fine hair, for painting; -- generally called by the name of the hair used; as, a camel's hair pencil, a sable's hair pencil, etc. Hair plate, an iron plate forming the back of the hearth of a bloomery fire. Hair powder, a white perfumed powder, as of flour or starch, formerly much used for sprinkling on the hair of the head, or on wigs. Hair seal (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of eared seals which do not produce fur; a sea lion. Hair seating, haircloth for seats of chairs, etc. Hair shirt, a shirt, or a band for the loins, made of horsehair, and worn as a penance. Hair sieve, a strainer with a haircloth bottom. Hair snake. See Gordius. Hair space (Printing), the thinnest metal space used in lines of type. Hair stroke, a delicate stroke in writing. Hair trigger, a trigger so constructed as to discharge a firearm by a very slight pressure, as by the touch of a hair. --Farrow. Not worth a hair, of no value. To a hair, with the nicest distinction. To split hairs, to make distinctions of useless nicety.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hairs) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Your hair is the fine threads that grow in a mass on your head. I wash my hair every night... ...a girl with long blonde hair... I get some grey hairs but I pull them out. N-VAR: usu supp N 2. Hair is the short, fine threads that grow on different parts of your body. The majority of men have hair on their chest... It tickled the hairs on the back of my neck. N-VAR 3. Hair is the threads that cover the body of an animal such as a dog, or make up a horse's mane and tail. I am allergic to cat hair. ...dog hairs on the carpet. N-VAR 4. If you let your hair down, you relax completely and enjoy yourself. ...the world-famous Oktoberfest, a time when everyone in Munich really lets their hair down. PHRASE: V inflects 5. Something that makes your hair stand on end shocks or frightens you very much. This was the kind of smile that made your hair stand on end. PHRASE: V inflects 6. If you say that someone has not a hair out of place, you are emphasizing that they are extremely smart and neatly dressed. She had a lot of make-up on and not a hair out of place. PHRASE [emphasis] 7. If you say that someone faced with a shock or a problem does not turn a hair, you mean that they do not show any surprise or fear, and remain completely calm. No one seems to turn a hair at the thought of the divorced Princess marrying. PHRASE: V inflects 8. If you say that someone is splitting hairs, you mean that they are making unnecessary distinctions between things when the differences between them are so small they are not important. Don't split hairs. You know what I'm getting at. PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) The Egyptians let the hair of their head and beard grow only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times. "So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it was a subject of reproach and ridicule; and whenever they intended to convey the idea of a man of low condition, or a slovenly person, the artists represented him with a beard." Joseph shaved himself before going in to Pharoah (Gen. 41:14). The women of Egypt wore their hair long and plaited. Wigs were worn by priests and laymen to cover the shaven skull, and false beards were common. The great masses of hair seen in the portraits and statues of kings and priests are thus altogether artificial.

(2.) A precisely opposite practice, as regards men, prevailed among the Assyrians. In Assyrian sculptures the hair always appears long, and combed closely down upon the head. The beard also was allowed to grow to its full length.

(3.) Among the Greeks the custom in this respect varied at different times, as it did also among the Romans. In the time of the apostle, among the Greeks the men wore short hair, while that of the women was long (1 Cor. 11:14, 15). Paul reproves the Corinthians for falling in with a style of manners which so far confounded the distinction of the sexes and was hurtful to good morals. (See, however, 1 Tim. 2:9, and 1 Pet. 3:3, as regards women.)

(4.) Among the Hebrews the natural distinction between the sexes was preserved by the women wearing long hair (Luke 7:38; John 11:2; 1 Cor. 11:6), while the men preserved theirs as a rule at a moderate length by frequent clipping.

Baldness disqualified any one for the priest's office (Lev. 21).

Elijah is called a "hairy man" (2 Kings 1:8) from his flowing locks, or more probably from the shaggy cloak of hair which he wore. His raiment was of camel's hair.

Long hair is especially noticed in the description of Absalom's person (2 Sam. 14:26); but the wearing of long hair was unusual, and was only practised as an act of religious observance by Nazarites (Num. 6:5; Judg. 13:5) and others in token of special mercies (Acts 18:18).

In times of affliction the hair was cut off (Isa. 3:17, 24; 15:2; 22:12; Jer. 7:29; Amos 8:10). Tearing the hair and letting it go dishevelled were also tokens of grief (Ezra 9:3). "Cutting off the hair" is a figure of the entire destruction of a people (Isa. 7:20). The Hebrews anointed the hair profusely with fragrant ointments (Ruth 3:3; 2 Sam. 14:2; Ps. 23:5; 45:7, etc.), especially in seasons of rejoicing (Matt. 6:17; Luke 7:46).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

har (se`ar, sa`ar, Aramaic se`ar, and their derivatives; thrix, gen. case trichos, kome):

1. Hair Fashions:

Hair was worn in different fashions by the Orientals of Biblical times, and not always in the same way among the same people in different epochs. We know this clearly from Egyptian literature and monuments, as well as from the writings of Greek authors (especially Herodotus), that the dwellers on the Nile had their heads shaved in early youth, leaving but a side lock until maturity was attained, when this mark of childhood was taken away. Priests and warriors kept their heads closely shaved; nothing but the exigencies of arduous warfare were allowed to interfere with this custom. On the other hand, the Hebrew people, like their Babylonian neighbors (Herod. i.195), affected long and well-cared-for, bushy curls of hair as emblems of manly beauty. Proofs thereof are not infrequent in the Scriptures and elsewhere. Samson's (Jud 16:13,19) and Absalom's (2Sa 14:26) long luxuriant hair is specially mentioned, and the Shulammite sings of the locks of her beloved which are "bushy (the Revised Version, margin "curling"), and black as a raven" (So 5:11). Josephus (Ant., VIII, vii, 3 (185)) reports that Solomon's body-guard was distinguished by youthful beauty and "luxuriant heads of hair." In the history of Samson we read of "the seven locks of his head" (Jud 16:19). It is likely that the expression signifies the plaits of hair which are even now often worn by the young Bedouin warrior of the desert.

2. Hair in Idol Worship:

It is well known that among the surrounding heathen nations the hair of childhood or youth was often shaved and consecrated at idolatrous shrines (compare Herod. ii.65 for Egypt). Frequently this custom marked an initiatory rite into the service of a divinity (e.g. that of Orotal (Bacchus) in Arabia, Herod. iii.8). It was therefore an abomination of the Gentiles in the eyes of the Jew, which is referred to in Le 19:27; Jer 9:26; 25:23; 49:32. The Syriac version of the latter passage renders, "Ye shall not let your hair grow long" (i.e. in order to cut it as a religious rite in honor of an idol). It is, however, probable that among the Jews, as now among many classes of Mohammedans, the periodical cropping of the hair, when it had become too cumbersome, was connected with some small festivity, when the weight of the hair was ascertained, and its weight in silver was given in charity to the poor. At least, the weighing of Absalom's hair (2Sa 14:26) may be referred to some such custom, which is not unparalleled in other countries. The use of balances in connection with the shaving-off of the hair in Eze 5:1 is certainly out of the common. See illustration, "Votive Offering," on p. 1302.

3. The Nazirite Vow:

We may also compare the shaving of the head of the Nazirite to these heathen practices, though the resemblance is merely superficial. The man who made a vow to God was responsible to Him with his whole body and being. Not even a hair was to be injured willfully during the whole period of the vow, for all belonged to God. The conclusion of the Nazirite vow was marked by sacrifices and the shaving of the head at the door of the sanctuary (Nu 6:1-21), indicative of a new beginning of life. The long untouched hair was therefore considered as the emblem of personal devotion (or devotedness) to the God of all strength. Thus it was an easy step to the thought that in the hair was the seat of strength of a Samson (Jud 16:17,20). God has numbered the very hairs of the head (Mt 10:30; Lu 12:7), which to human beings conveys the idea of the innumerableness (Ps 40:12; 69:4). What God can number, He can also protect, so that not even a hair of the head might "fall to the earth" or "perish." These phrases express complete safety (1Sa 14:45; 2Sa 14:11; 1Ki 1:52; Lu 21:18; Ac 27:34).

4. Later Fashions:

In New Testament times, especially in the Diaspora, the Jews frequently adopted the fashion of the Romans in cropping the hair closely (1Co 11:14); still the fear of being tainted by the idolatrous practice of the heathen, which is specially forbidden in Le 21:5, was so great that the side locks remained untouched and were permitted to grow ad libitum. This is still the custom among the Jews of Eastern Europe and the Orient.

See also HEAD.

5. Woman's Hair:

If Hebrew men paid much attention to their hair, it was even more so among Hebrew women. Long black tresses were the pride of the Jewish maiden and matron (So 7:5; Joh 11:2; 1Co 11:5,6,15), but many of the expressions used in connection with the "coiffures" of women do not convey to us more than a vague idea. The "locks" of the King James Version in So 4:1,3; 6:7; Isa 47:2 (tsemmah) probably do not refer to the hair, but should be translated (as does the Revised Version (British and American), which follows the Septuagint) by "veil." dallah (So 7:5), signifies the slender threads which represent the unfinished web in the loom (compare Isa 38:12), and thence the flowing hair of women (the Revised Version (British and American) "hair"). rehaTim (the Revised Version (British and American) "tresses"), in the same verse of the So of Songs means literally the "gutters" at which the flocks were watered (compare Ge 30:38,41), and thus the long plaits of the maiden with which the lover toys and in which he is held captive. The braiding or dressing of woman's hair is expressed in 2Ki 9:30 and Judith 10:3. In New Testament times Christian women are warned against following the fashionable world in elaborate hairdressing (1Ti 2:9; 1Pe 3:3).

6. Barbers:

The care of the hair, especially the periodical cutting of the same, early necessitated the trade of the barber. The Hebrew word gallabh is found in Eze 5:1, and the plural form of the same word occurs in an inscription at Citium (Cyprus) (CIS, 1586), where the persons thus described clearly belonged to the priests or servants of a temple.

See BARBER.

7. Ointments:

Numerous were the cosmetics and ointments applied to the hair (Ec 9:8; Mt 6:17; perhaps Ru 3:3), but some, reserved for sacramental purposes, were prohibited for profane use (Ex 30:32; Ps 133:2). Such distinction we find also in Egypt, where the walls of temple laboratories were inscribed with extensive recipes of such holy oils, while the medical papyri (see especially Papyrus Ebers, plates 64-67) contain numerous ointments for the hair, the composition of some of which is ascribed to a renowned queen of antiquity. Even Greek and Roman medical authors have transmitted to us the knowledge of some such prescriptions compounded, it is said, by Queen Cleopatra VI of Egypt, the frivolous friend of Caesar and Antony (see my dissertation, Die uber die medicinischen Kenntnisse der alten Aegypter berichtenden Papyri, ere, Leipzig, 1888, 121-32). We know from Josephus (Ant., XVI, viii, 1 (233)), that Herod the Great, in his old age, dyed his hair black, a custom, however, which does not appear to be specifically Jewish, as hair-dyes as well as means for bleaching the hair were well known in Greece and Rome. It is certain that the passage Mt 5:36 would not have been spoken, had this been a common custom in the days of the Lord. A special luxury is mentioned by Josephus (Ant., VIII, vii, 3 (185)), who states that the young men who formed the body-guard of King Solomon were in the habit, on festive occasions, of sprinkling their long hair with gold-dust (psegma chrusou).

For the Jews the anointing of the head was synonymous with joy and prosperity (compare Ps 23:5; 92:10; Heb 1:9; compare also "oil of joy," Isa 61:3, and "oil of gladness," Ps 45:7). It was also, like the washing of feet, a token of hospitality (Ps 23:5; Lu 7:46).

On the contrary, it was the custom in times of personal or national affliction and mourning to wear the hair unanointed and disheveled, or to cover the head with dust and ashes (2Sa 14:2; Jos 7:6; Job 2:12), or to tear the hair or to cut it off (Ezr 9:3; Ne 13:25; Jer 7:29).

8. Symbolical Use of Word:

We have referred to the thickness of hair which supplied the Hebrew with a suitable expression for the conception "innumerable." Hair is also expressive of minuteness; thus the 700 left-handed men of Benjamin were able to "sling stones at a hairbreadth, and not miss" (Jud 20:16). Gray hairs and the hoary white of old age were highly honored by the Jews (Pr 16:31; 20:29; /APC 2Macc 6:23). Besides expressing old age (Isa 46:4), they stand for wisdom (The Wisdom of Solomon 4:9 (10)). Sometimes white hair is the emblem of a glorious, if not Divine, presence (Da 7:9; /APC 2Macc 15:13; Re 1:14). Calamity befalling the gray-headed was doubly terrible (Ge 42:38; 44:29). The "hair of the flesh" is said to "stand up" (Job 4:15; /APC Sirach 27:14) when sudden terror or fear takes hold of a person. The symbolical language of Isa 7:20 uses the "hair of the feet" (see FEET) and "the beard" as synonymous with "the humble" and the "mighty of the people."

Camel's hair (Mt 3:4; Mr 1:6) is mentioned in connection with the description of John the Baptist's raiment. It represents, according to Jerome, a rough shirt worn under the coat or wrapper, though a rather soft fabric is produced in Arabia from the finer wool of the camel.

Goat's hair was the material of a cloth used for wearing apparel and for a more or less waterproof covering of tents and bundles. It is the black tent-cloth of Kedar' (So 1:5; Ex 26:7; 36:14). In New Testament times it was the special product of Paul's native province, Cilicia, whence its name cilicium, and its manufacture formed the apostle's own trade (Ac 18:3). It is also mentioned as a material for stuffing pillows (1Sa 19:13).

See also WEAVING.

H. L. E. Luering

Moby Thesaurus

a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, ace, animal fiber, artificial fiber, atom, bagatelle, bauble, bean, bibelot, bit, bowshot, braids, brass farthing, brief span, bristle, button, cambric tea, capillament, cent, cilium, cirrus, close quarters, close range, closeness, coat, cobweb, confinement, crack, crowdedness, curio, dab, denier, dishwater, dole, dot, dram, dribble, driblet, dwarf, earreach, earshot, farce, farthing, feather, fiber, fibrilla, fig, filament, filamentule, flagellum, fleabite, fleck, fleece, flyspeck, folderol, fraction, fragment, fribble, frippery, fur, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack, gobbet, gossamer, grain, granule, groat, gruel, gunshot, hair space, hairbreadth, hairsbreadth, halfpenny, handful, hank, hill of beans, horsehair, house of cards, incapaciousness, inch, incommodiousness, iota, jest, joke, jot, kickshaw, knickknack, knickknackery, limitation, little, little bit, little ways, locks, mane, matchwood, milk and water, minikin, minim, minimum, minutiae, mite, mockery, modicum, molecule, molehill, mote, narrow gauge, narrowness, nearness, nutshell, ounce, particle, pebble, pelt, peppercorn, picayune, pile, pin, pinch, pinch of snuff, pinprick, pistol shot, pittance, point, pubescence, pubic hair, rap, red cent, reed, restrictedness, restriction, rope of sand, row of pins, rush, sand castle, scruple, setula, shag, shit, short distance, short piece, short way, skein, slenderness, smidgen, smitch, snap, sneeshing, sou, span, speck, spitting distance, spoonful, spot, step, straitness, strand, straw, strictness, suture, tendril, thimbleful, thread, threadlet, tight squeeze, tightness, tiny bit, tittle, toy, trace, tresses, trifle, trifling amount, trinket, trivia, triviality, tuppence, two cents, twopence, water, web, whim-wham, whisker, whit, wool