haw

See also: Haw and Haw.

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, UK) IPA^(key): /hɔː/
• (General American, US) IPA^(key): /hɔː/
• Rhymes: -ɔː

Etymology 1

Imitative

Interjection

haw

1. An imitation of laughter, often used to express scorn or disbelief. Often doubled or tripled (haw haw or haw haw haw).

   You think that song was good? Haw!

2. An intermission or hesitation of speech, with a sound somewhat like "haw"; the sound so made.
   • (Can we date this quote by Congreve and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     Hums or haws.

Usage notes

• (an imitation of laughter): In the US, haw is rare (it was more used in the past), with ha being more common.

Translations

an imitation of laughter

• Dutch: ha (nl)

• Finnish: hah (fi)

Verb

haw (third-person singular simple present haws, present participle hawing, simple past and past participle hawed)

1. To stop, in speaking, with a sound like haw; to speak with interruption and hesitation.

Derived terms

• hum and haw, hem and haw

Etymology 2

From Middle English hawe, from Old English haga (“enclosure, hedge”), from Proto-Germanic *hagô (compare West Frisian haach, Dutch haag, German Hag (“hedged farmland”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰom (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”), Latin caulae (“sheepfold, enclosure”), cohum (“strap between plowbeam and yoke”), Russian кош (koš, “tent”), коша́ра (košára, “sheepfold”), Sanskrit कक्ष (kakṣa, “curtain wall”)), from *kagʰ- 'to catch, grasp' (compare Welsh cau (“to clasp”), Oscan kahad (“may he seize”), Albanian kam, ke (“to have, hold”)).

Noun

haw (plural haws)

1. Fruit of the hawthorn.

   Synonym: hawthorn berry

2. (historical) A hedge.

Translations

fruit of hawthorn

• Armenian: ալոճ (hy) (aloč)
• Bulgarian: глогина f (glogina)
• Dutch: meidoornbes
• Finnish: orapihlajanmarja
• French: cenelle (fr) f
• Georgian: კუნელი (ḳuneli)

• Irish: sceachóir m
• Japanese: 山査子 (ja)の (ja)実 (ja) (sanzashi no mi)
• Middle English: hawe
• Norman: bague f
• Welsh: criafolen y moch f

hedge

• Dutch: haag (nl)

• French: haie (fr) f

Etymology 3

Unknown.

Interjection

haw

1. An instruction for a horse or other animal to turn towards the driver, typically left.

Translations

an instruction for a horse or other animal to turn towards the driver

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嗬 (zh) (hē)

• Czech: čehý (cs)
• Dutch: linksom (nl)
• French: dia (fr)

• German: Haw
• Polish: wiśta (pl)
• Portuguese: ôa, ôô
• Romanian: hăis (ro)
• Slovak: čihí

Verb

haw (third-person singular simple present haws, present participle hawing, simple past and past participle hawed)

1. (of an animal) To turn towards the driver, typically to the left.

   This horse won't haw when I tell him to.

   Antonym: gee

2. To cause (an animal) to turn left.

   You may have to go to the front of the pack and physically haw the lead dog.

   Antonym: gee

Derived terms

• gee haw whimmy diddle
• haw and gee, haw and gee about

 

Etymology 4

Uncertain.

Noun

haw (plural haws)

1. (anatomy) The third eyelid, or nictitating membrane.
2. A disease of the nictitating membrane.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for haw in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

Anagrams

• Wah, wah, wha

---

Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit हल (hala), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₁ol-. Cognate with Lithuanian žúolis.

Noun

haw

1. plough

---

Middle English

Noun

haw

1. Alternative form of hawe

---

Scanian

Etymology

From Old Norse haf, from Proto-Germanic *habą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hɑ́ː]

Noun

haw n (definite singular haweð, plural haw)

1. sea

Derived terms

• hawblikk
• hawbørw
• hawfroan
• hawmáka
• hawpadda