hairpin

[hair-pin]

noun

1. a slender U -shaped piece of wire, shell, etc., used by women to fasten up the hair or hold a headdress.

adjective

1. (of a road, curve in a road, etc.) sharply curved back, as in a U shape.

   a hairpin turn.

hairpin

/ ˈhɛəˌpɪn /

noun

1. a thin double-pronged pin used by women to fasten the hair

2. (modifier) (esp of a bend in a road) curving very sharply

Word History and Origins

Origin of hairpin¹

First recorded in 1770–80; hair + pin

Example Sentences

To reach Ghorjomi mosque, one of the biggest, we drove up hairpin mountain lanes, edged with blue hydrangeas, until we spotted the minaret.

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Light rain began to fall after about 20 laps and on lap 23 Hamilton got off line through the banked Hugenholtzbocht hairpin.

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While the meetings at the White House went smoothly, he has made hairpin turns in American foreign policy before and he could do so again.

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But Norris went off track on the exit of Turn One and came close to losing control at the hairpin a number of times.

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He ran on to the kerb at Degner One, twice had an oversteer moment at the hairpin, and then a big wobble out of the final chicane.

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