hobby

¹

[hob-ee]

noun

plural

hobbies 

1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.

   Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

2. a child's hobbyhorse.

3. Archaic.,  a small horse.

hobby

²

[hob-ee]

noun

plural

hobbies 

1. a small Old World falcon, Falco subbuteo, formerly flown at such small game as larks.

Hobby

³

[hob-ee]

noun

1. Oveta Culp 1905–1995, U.S. newspaper publisher and government official: first director of Women's Army Corps 1942–45; first Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1953–55.

hobby

¹

/ ˈhɒbɪ /

noun

1. an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation

2. archaic,  a small horse or pony

3. short for hobbyhorse

4. an early form of bicycle, without pedals

hobby

²

/ ˈhɒbɪ /

noun

1. any of several small Old World falcons, esp the European Falco subbuteo, formerly used in falconry

Other Word Forms

• hobbyist noun
• hobbyless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobby¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English hoby(n), probably from Robin, or Robert ( hob ² ), used as horse's name, as in dobbin

Origin of hobby²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoby, from Middle French hobé, variant of Middle French, Old French hobel (compare French hobereau ), probably noun derivative of hobeler “to skirmish, harass,” perhaps from Middle Dutch hob(b)elen “to turn, roll”; compare Dutch hobbelen “to rock, jolt” ( hobble )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobby¹

C14 hobyn, probably variant of proper name Robin; compare _dobbin

Origin of hobby²

C15: from Old French hobet, from hobe falcon; probably related to Middle Dutch hobbelen to roll, turn

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. ride a hobby, to concern oneself excessively with a favorite notion or activity. Also ride a hobbyhorse.

Example Sentences

He spent weekends on home improvement projects or immersed in his many hobbies: hiking, woodworking, 100-mile bike races.

From Los Angeles Times

Played by Kapoor, Sundari often wears a string of jasmine flowers in her hair, can communicate with elephants and climbs coconut trees as a hobby - all stereotypical traits, often associated with Kerala.

From BBC

And in that sense, this isn’t just a celebrity hobby; it’s a potential fandom migration moment, the kind of cultural pivot that could ripple far beyond Swift’s kitchen.

From Salon

Here we meet four very different residents united around an unusual hobby, meeting weekly — that is, on Thursdays, when they have the room reserved — to discuss unsolved murders with an eye to solving them.

From Los Angeles Times

The show’s point is that you or I can and should pick up a hobby or enroll in a class to spark those neurons out of complacency.

From Salon

Related Words

• amusement 
• art 
• avocation 
• craft 
• diversion 
• fad 
• fun 
• obsession 
• specialty 
• sport