haze

¹

[ heyz ]

noun

1. an aggregation in the atmosphere of very fine, widely dispersed, solid or liquid particles, or both, giving the air an opalescent appearance that subdues colors.
2. vagueness or obscurity, as of the mind or perception; confused or vague thoughts, feelings, etc.:

   The victims were still in a haze and couldn't describe the accident.

verb (used with or without object)

, hazed, haz·ing.

1. to make or become hazy.

haze

²

[ heyz ]

verb (used with object)

, hazed, haz·ing.

1. to subject (freshmen, newcomers, etc.) to abusive or humiliating tricks and ridicule.
2. Chiefly Nautical. to harass with unnecessary or disagreeable tasks.

haze

¹

/ heɪz /

verb

1. to subject (fellow students) to ridicule or abuse
2. nautical to harass with humiliating tasks

haze

²

/ heɪz /

noun

1. meteorol
   1. reduced visibility in the air as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc, in the atmosphere
   2. the moisture or dust causing this
2. obscurity of perception, feeling, etc

verb

1. whenintr, often foll by over to make or become hazy

Derived Forms

• ˈhazer, noun

Other Words From

• hazeless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haze¹

First recorded in 1700–10; perhaps noun use of unattested Middle English hase; Old English hasu, variant of haswa “ashen, dusky”; hazy, hare

Origin of haze²

First recorded in 1670–80, haze is from the Middle French word haser to irritate, annoy

Word History and Origins

Origin of haze¹

C17: of uncertain origin

Origin of haze²

C18: back formation from hazy

Idioms and Phrases

see in a fog (haze) .

Synonym Study

See cloud.

Example Sentences

Though 2021 began in a haze of uncertainty, we’re now some five months in, and for many of us—finally—things are looking brighter.

From Time

It is one of the first trees to bloom in spring, when its charcoal gray bark is smothered in a haze of tiny rose-pink blossoms that emerge directly from the wood.

From Washington Post

The thin haze of clouds parted as we entered a valley deep in the Monashee Mountains of southeast British Columbia.

From Outside Online

As I type this, smoky air from the Sierra Nevada mountains is pouring into San Francisco, casting a deep orange haze across the city, as well as much of the American west.

From Quartz

Look closely and you can see that the haze is divided into dozens of layers.

From Nautilus

“I personally think that his performance is unbelievable,” says Haze.

From The Daily Beast

Not according to Haze, who is decidedly Zen about his Method approach to Ballard.

From The Daily Beast

The model Ireland Baldwin is less ambiguous but even more defiant when it comes to her relationship with the rapper Angel Haze.

From The Daily Beast

With the country sinking ever further into a prescription drug-induced haze, one state has decided to fight back.

From The Daily Beast

After lunch, I entered a mental haze: reaction times dropped 12% and short-term memory 11%.

From The Daily Beast

The belated moon stole up from its lair, hovered above the sky-line, a gaudy orange sphere in the haze of smoke.

From Project Gutenberg

At ten o'clock a very thick haze spread over the land and so enveloped it that nothing could be distinguished.

From Project Gutenberg

Clouds of haze moved around, and when the moon came up she seemed to be glowering from her shroud.

From Project Gutenberg

A pallid haze breathes wanly on the surface of the impassive sky.

From Project Gutenberg

The upper edge of the sun was just visible above the horizon, gleaming through the haze like a speck of ruddy fire.

From Project Gutenberg

About This Word

What else does haze mean?

Haze is a noun or adjective referring to a type of LSD (acid) or marijuana … typically purple haze.

Hazing, on the other hand, is an initiation ritual where people are subjected to all kinds of cruel and unusual tasks or humiliations.

Where does haze come from?

The controversial practice known as hazing has been around since at least the mid-19th century. The origins of the word hazing are uncertain (could be from a French root for “harass”), but it is thought that the practice started on ships where captains would haze new members of the crew by making them do meaningless, backbreaking work, like de-threading rope.

By 1848, upperclassmen on university campuses like Harvard would haze, or force all kinds of horrible tasks upon, underclassmen. Early printed uses of this expression usually involve disciplinary hearings for this kind of behavior … yet, it continued.

Early record of haze as a noun for “mist” or “fog” dates to the 18th century. 1960s drug culture haze borrowed this meaning to refer to hallucinogens or weed that make you feel like you’re in a haze.

The drug haze was popularized by Jimi Hendrix on his rock classic “Purple Haze” in 1967. The song is often taken as a description of being on an acid trip. He famously performed the track at the Monterey International Pop Festival that year, and the name Purple Haze became associated with psychedelic drugs ever since.

In the 1970s, the conveniently named Haze brothers began developing a potent (“dank”) strain of weed, a sativa that they dubbed Haze. That story sounds too good to be true, but growers from the U.S. brought seeds of such a strain to Amsterdam by the 1980s, where it was crossed with others to create weed like Lemon Haze.

References to haze weed emerged in hip-hop music in the 1990s, such as in Cypress Hill’s 1998 “High Times.” From there, haze became shorthand for marijuana generally, not just the specific haze weed strain.

How is haze used in real life?

Haze often refers to smoggy conditions and skies that are smoky from fires.

It’s also still used as a word for marijuana, both specific strains and pot, more generally. People use it as a noun (e.g., I picked up a quarter of some good haze the other day) or adjective (e.g., haze weed). People will often use haze to describe the smoky environments that stoners hang out in too.

Hazing continues on high school and on college campuses, especially when joining teams, clubs, or other organizations like fraternities and sororities. Many have died from hazing, often as the result of alcohol poisoning or beatings, as many hazing rituals involve excessive drinking or physical abuse. Florida A&M marching band member Robert Champion notably, and tragically, died from hazing in 2011, which helped thrust the problem of hazing into the public spotlight.

More examples of haze:

“What they’re hoping is I’ll go away…I won’t go away. They didn’t just haze my son. They killed my son.”
—Deborah Tipton’ quoted by John Hechinger, Bloomberg, September, 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.