hep

See also: hẹp and нер

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛp

Etymology 1

Shortening.

Noun

hep (uncountable)

1. (informal) hepatitis.
2. Abbreviation of high-energy physics.

Usage notes

• Mainly used in the names of varieties of hepatitis, such as hep A, hep B, hep C, hep D, and hep E.

Etymology 2

Alteration of hip.

Noun

hep (plural heps)

1. (obsolete) A hip of a rose; a rosehip.

Etymology 3

US underworld slang of unknown origin, first recorded 1908.

Adjective

hep (comparative more hep, superlative most hep)

1. (dated, US slang) aware, up-to-date
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IX:

     I was pleased, as I put him hep on the Wilbert-Phyllis situation and revealed the part he was expected to play in it, to note that he showed no signs of being about to issue the presidential veto.

2. (dated, US slang) cool, hip

Derived terms

• hepcat
• hip

Verb

hep (third-person singular simple present heps, present participle hepping, simple past and past participle hepped)

1. (dated, US slang) To make aware of.

   I hepped him to the situation.

Anagrams

• Eph, Eph., HPE, peh

---

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *skapa, related to hap.

Noun

hep f (indefinite plural hepa, definite singular hepi, definite plural hepat)

1. furrow, scratch

References

Related terms

• hap

---

Breton

Preposition

hep

1. without