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Webster 1913 Edition

Haw

Haw

(ha̤)
,
Noun.
[OE.
hawe
, AS.
haga
; akin to D.
haag
headge, G.
hag
,
hecke
, Icel.
hagi
pasture, Sw.
hage
, Dan.
have
garden. √12. Cf.
Haggard
,
Ha-ha
,
Haugh
,
Hedge
.]
1.
A hedge; an inclosed garden or yard.
And eke there was a polecat in his
haw
.
Chaucer.
2.
The fruit of the hawthorn.
Bacon.

Haw

,
Noun.
[Etymol. uncertain.]
(Anat.)
The third eyelid, or nictitating membrane. See
Nictitating membrane
, under
Nictitate
.

Haw

,
Noun.
[Cf.
ha
an interjection of wonder, surprise, or hesitation.]
An intermission or hesitation of speech, with a sound somewhat like haw! also, the sound so made.
“Hums or haws.”
Congreve.

Haw

,
Verb.
I.
To stop, in speaking, with a sound like haw; to speak with interruption and hesitation.
Cut it short; don’t prose – don't hum and
haw
.
Chesterfield.

Haw

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Hawed
(ha̤d)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Hawing
.]
[Written also
hoi
.]
[Perhaps connected with
here
,
hither
; cf., however, F.
huhau
,
hurhau
,
hue
, interj. used in turning a horse to the right, G.
hott
,
hü
, interj. used in calling to a horse.]
To turn to the near side, or toward the driver; – said of cattle or a team: a word used by teamsters in guiding their teams, and most frequently in the imperative. See
Gee
.
To haw and gee
, or
To haw and gee about
,
to go from one thing to another without good reason; to have no settled purpose; to be irresolute or unstable.
[Colloq.]

Haw

,
Verb.
T.
To cause to turn, as a team, to the near side, or toward the driver;
as, to
haw
a team of oxen
.
To haw and gee
, or
To haw and gee about
,
to lead this way and that at will; to lead by the nose; to master or control.
[Colloq.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Haw

HAW

, n.
1.
The berry and seed of the hawthorn, that is, hedge-thorn.
2.
A small piece of ground adjoining a house; a small field; properly, an inclosed piece of land, from hedge, like garden, which also signifies an inclosure.
3.
In farriery, an excrescence resembling a gristle, growing under the nether eyelid and eye of a horse.
4.
A dale.

HAW

,
Verb.
I.
[corrupted from hawk, or hack.] To stop in speaking with a haw, or to speak with interruption and hesitation; as, to hem and haw.

Definition 2024

Haw

Haw

See also: haw and Haw.

English

Proper noun

Haw

  1. A topographic and patronymic surname​.
  2. A river in the US state of North Carolina.

Anagrams

haw

haw

See also: Haw and Haw.

English

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.
    • Congreve
      Hums or haws.
Usage notes
  • (an imitation of laughter): In the US, the spelling haw is rare, with ha being more common.
Translations

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

Etymology 2

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 *kaghon (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 *kaghe/o '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.
  2. (historical) A hedge.
Translations

Etymology 3

Unknown

Interjection

haw

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

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.
  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.
Derived terms
Antonyms
  • (to turn right): gee
  • (to cause to turn right): gee

Etymology 4

Uncertain.

Noun

haw ‎(plural haws)

  1. (anatomy) The third eyelid, or nictitating membrane.

Anagrams

West Frisian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /haf/

Verb

haw

  1. first person present-tense form of hawwe
  2. imperative form of hawwe

See also

Etymology

From Old English haga ‎(“enclosure”). Also a Middle English back-formation from Hawkin, a diminutive of Harry or of a given name meaning "a hawk".

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