hose

[hohz]

noun

plural

hose, hoses ,

plural

hosen .

1. a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point.

   a garden hose; a fire hose.

2. (used with a plural verb),  an article of clothing for the foot and lower part of the leg; stocking or sock.

3. (of men's attire in former times)

   1. an article of clothing for the leg, extending from about the knee to the ankle and worn with knee breeches.

   2. (used with a plural verb),  knee breeches.

   3. (used with a plural verb),  tights, as were worn with, and usually attached to, a doublet.

4. British Dialect.,  a sheath, or sheathing part, as that enclosing a kernel of grain.

5. Golf.,  hosel.

verb (used with object)

hosed, hosing 

1. to water, wash, spray, or drench by means of a hose (often followed bydown ).

   to hose the garden; to hose down the ship's deck.

2. Slang.

   1. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.

   2. to defeat decisively.

   3. to reject.

   4. Chiefly Military.,  to attack or assault (an area) in order to gain control quickly (sometimes followed bydown ).

hose

¹

/ həʊz /

noun

1. stockings, socks, and tights collectively

2. history a man's garment covering the legs and reaching up to the waist; worn with a doublet

3. socks

hose

²

/ həʊz /

noun

1. a flexible pipe, for conveying a liquid or gas

verb

1. (sometimes foll by down) to wash, water, or sprinkle (a person or thing) with or as if with a hose

Other Word Forms

• hoseless adjective
• hoselike adjective
• unhosed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hose¹

before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa, German Hose; (v.) Middle English: to provide with hose, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hose¹

Old English hosa; related to Old High German hosa, Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa

Origin of hose²

C15: later use of _hose ²

Example Sentences

Two workers were loading equipment onto trucks and a third was hosing the fresh cement that will sit under a new house.

From Los Angeles Times

Incarcerated firefighters don’t wield hoses, but clear brush and dig containment lines while working on front-line hand crews and do work such as cooking and laundry to keep fire camps running.

From Los Angeles Times

The actor, who also played detective Julio Sanchez in “The Closer” and its spin-off series “Major Crimes,” became uncomfortable and turned around, hose in hand, to tell them to “stop recording,” Berko said.

From Los Angeles Times

Yellow hose snakes around trees on the forest floor.

From Los Angeles Times

Helicopter footage captured by NBC7 News showed smoke engulfing several hillside structures as ground crews attacked the flames with hoses and a fixed-wing plane dropped water from above.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hosiery 
• sock 
• tights 
• tube 
• tubing