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hatch
1[ hach ]
/ hætʃ /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to be hatched.
to brood.
noun
the act of hatching.
something that is hatched, as a brood.
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Origin of hatch
1First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English hacchen. hetchen; akin to German hecken “(of birds) to mate, incubate, hatch”
OTHER WORDS FROM hatch
Words nearby hatch
hasty pudding, hat, Hatasu, hatband, hatbox, hatch, Hatch Act, hatchback, hatch boat, hatcheck, hatchel
Other definitions for hatch (2 of 3)
hatch2
[ hach ]
/ hætʃ /
noun
Origin of hatch
2First recorded before 1100; Middle English hacche, hache, hatche “lower half of a divided door, small door, gate,” Old English hæcc, hæc “grating, hatch, half-gate”; akin to Dutch hek “fence, gate, railing”
Other definitions for hatch (3 of 3)
hatch3
[ hach ]
/ hætʃ /
verb (used with object)
to mark with lines, especially closely set parallel lines, as for shading in drawing or engraving.
noun
a shading line in drawing or engraving.
Origin of hatch
3First recorded in 1470–80; earlier hache, from Middle French hacher “to cut up,” derivative of hache “ax”; see origin at hatchet
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hatch in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hatch (1 of 4)
hatch1
/ (hætʃ) /
verb
to cause (the young of various animals, esp birds) to emerge from the egg or (of young birds, etc) to emerge from the egg
to cause (eggs) to break and release the fully developed young or (of eggs) to break and release the young animal within
(tr) to contrive or devise (a scheme, plot, etc)
noun
the act or process of hatching
a group of newly hatched animals
Derived forms of hatch
hatchable, adjectivehatcher, nounWord Origin for hatch
C13: of Germanic origin; compare Middle High German hecken to mate (used of birds), Swedish häcka to hatch, Danish hække
British Dictionary definitions for hatch (2 of 4)
hatch2
/ (hætʃ) /
noun
Word Origin for hatch
Old English hæcc; related to Middle High German heck, Dutch hek gate
British Dictionary definitions for hatch (3 of 4)
hatch3
/ (hætʃ) /
verb
art to mark (a figure, shade, etc) with fine parallel or crossed lines to indicate shadingCompare hachure
Derived forms of hatch
hatching, nounWord Origin for hatch
C15: from Old French hacher to chop, from hache hatchet
British Dictionary definitions for hatch (4 of 4)
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with hatch
hatch
see batten down the hatches; count one's chickens before they hatch; down the hatch.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.