hardhack

[ hahrd-hak ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌhæk /

noun

a woolly-leaved North American shrub, Spiraea tomentosa, of the rose family, having short, spikelike clusters of rose-colored flowers.

shrubby cinquefoil.

Nearby words

hardened, hardener, hardening, hardening of arteries, hardening of the arteries, hardhack, hardhead, hardhead sponge, hardheaded, hardheads, hardhearted

Origin of hardhack

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; hard + hack¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hardhack

Mrs. Hardhack rushed past me as though every prisoner had got loose, and was running away.
Woman in Prison|Caroline H. Woods
And among other things he told me that a hardhack would turn into a huckleberry-bush.
The William Henry Letters|Abby Morton Diaz
Should a diarrhœa attend the malady, give an occasional drink of hardhack tea.
The American Reformed Cattle Doctor|George Dadd
Mrs. Hardhack stripped their beds, and counted their blankets.
Woman in Prison|Caroline H. Woods

Mrs. Hardhack would call him to account for letting her off with so slight a punishment.
Woman in Prison|Caroline H. Woods

British Dictionary definitions for hardhack

hardhack

/ (ˈhɑːdˌhæk) /

noun

a woody North American rosaceous plant, Spiraea tomentosa, with downy leaves and tapering clusters of small pink or white flowersAlso called: steeplebush

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