hair

[ hair ]
/ hɛər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hair ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals; a pilus.
an aggregate of such filaments, as that covering the human head or forming the coat of most mammals.
a similar fine, filamentous outgrowth from the body of insects, spiders, etc.
Botany. a filamentous outgrowth of the epidermis.
cloth made of hair from animals, as camel and alpaca.
a very small amount, degree, measure, magnitude, etc.; a fraction, as of time or space: He lost the race by a hair.

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Idioms for hair

Origin of hair

before 900; Middle English heer,Old English hǣr (cognate with Dutch, German haar,Old Norse hār), with vowel perhaps from Middle English haire hair shirt <Old French <Old High German hāria (cognate with Middle English here,Old English hǣre,Old Norse hǣra)

OTHER WORDS FROM hair

hairlike, adjectivede·hair, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hair

hair , hare.

Words nearby hair

Hainan Strait, Hainaut, Haines City, hain't, Haiphong, hair, hairball, hairbrained, hairbreadth, hairbrush, hairbrush cactus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to hair

wig, hairstyle, grass, fur, haircut, fiber, wool, strand, sideburn, eyebrow, mane, shock, lock, tress, down, cut, tuft, bristle, filament, beard

Example sentences from the Web for hair

British Dictionary definitions for hair

hair
/ (hɛə) /

noun

Derived forms of hair

hairlike, adjective

Word Origin for hair

Old English hær; related to Old Norse hār, Old High German hār hair, Norwegian herren stiff, hard, Lettish sari bristles, Latin crescere to grow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for hair

hair
[ hâr ]

n.

Any of the cylindrical, keratinized, often pigmented filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal.
A growth of such filaments, as that forming the coat of an animal or covering the scalp of a human.
One of the fine hairlike processes of a sensory cell.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for hair

hair
[ hâr ]

One of the fine strands that grow from the skin of mammals, usually providing insulation against the cold. Modified hairs sometimes serve as protective defenses, as in the quills of a porcupine or hedgehog, or as tactile organs, as in the whiskers (called vibrissae) of many nocturnal mammals. Hair filaments are a modification of the epidermis of the skin and are composed primarily of keratin. Hair also contains melanin, which determines hair color.
A slender growth resembling a mammalian hair, found on insects and other animals.
A fine, threadlike growth from the epidermis of plants. See more at trichome.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with hair

hair
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.