homer

See also: Homer and Homér

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊmə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhoʊmɚ/
• Rhymes: -əʊmə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Hebrew חומר / חֹמֶר (khómer, “clay, heap, large unit of volume”).

Alternative forms

• chomer

Noun

homer (plural homers)

1. (historical units of measure) A former Hebrew unit of dry volume, about equal to 230 L or 6+¹⁄₂ US bushels.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 45:11:

     The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.

   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses:

     Head up! For every newbegotten thou shalt gather thy homer of ripe wheat.

2. (historical units of measure) Synonym of cor: approximately the same volume as a liquid measure.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 45:11:

     The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.

Usage notes

In English, sometimes confounded with the much smaller omer.

Synonyms

• cor, kor

Meronyms

• (dry measure): cab, kab (¹⁄₁₈₀ homer); omer, issaron (¹⁄₁₀₀ homer); seah (¹⁄₃₀ homer); ephah (¹⁄₁₀ homer); lethek, lethech (¹⁄₂ homer)
• (liquid measure): See cor

Etymology 2

From home +‎ -er.

Noun

homer (plural homers)

1. (US, baseball) A home run

   The first baseman hit a homer to lead off the ninth.

2. (US, colloquial) Synonym of home run (“sexual intercourse”)
   • 2019, M. R. Biggs, Not 4 $ale:

     Fast forward to Chase's base. Where Chase hit a homer, first at bat. Becca thrived off being sexy, having sex, watching sex.

   • 2020, Mari Carr, Wild Night:

     “So you hit a homer, huh?” she asked, confused by his misery.
     Colm nodded. “Best sex I've had in a long time. Maybe ever.”

3. (US) A homing pigeon.

   Each of the pigeon fanciers released a homer at the same time.

4. (US, sports) A person who is extremely devoted to a favorite team.

   Joe is such a homer that he would never boo the Hometown Hobos, even if they are in last place in the league.

5. A homing beacon.
   • 1961, RCA Service Company, Digest of Military Electronics, page 75:

     Two general types of homer systems are in use, active homers and passive homers. Active homers contain a transmitting device which emits energy that is directed towards the target.

Derived terms

• Chinese homer
• homer man
• homer pigeon
• inside-the-park homer
• stay-at-homer

 

Translations

four-base hit — see home run

homing pigeon — see homing pigeon

devoted supporter of a team

• Italian: fanatico (it) m
• Serbo-Croatian: fanatik (sh)

Verb

homer (third-person singular simple present homers, present participle homering, simple past and past participle homered)

1. (US, baseball) To hit a homer; to hit a home run.

   The Sultan of Swat homered 714 times.

Synonyms

• hit out of the park, jack

Translations

to hit a home run

• Finnish: lyödä kunnari

See also

• single, double, triple

References

• "H2563: chomer" in James Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
• "Weights and Measures" at Oxford Biblical Studies Online

Anagrams

• Roehm

Middle English

Noun

homer

1. Alternative form of hamer