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hood1

[hoo d]
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noun
  1. a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck, either separate or attached to a cloak, coat, or the like.
  2. something resembling or suggesting such a covering, especially in shape, as certain petals or sepals.
  3. the hinged, movable part of an automobile body covering the engine.
  4. British. the roof of a carriage.
  5. a metal cover or canopy for a stove, ventilator, etc.
  6. Falconry. a cover for the entire head of a hawk, used when the bird is not in pursuit of game.
  7. an ornamental ruffle or fold on the back of the shoulders of an academic gown, jurist's robe, etc.
  8. a crest or band of color on the head of certain birds and animals.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish with a hood.
  2. to cover with or as if with a hood.
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Origin of hood1

before 900; 1925–30, Americanism for def 3; Middle English hode, Old English hōd; cognate with Old Frisian hōde, Dutch hoed, German Hut hat
Related formshood·less, adjectivehood·like, adjective

hood2

[hoo d, hood]
noun Slang.
  1. a hoodlum.
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Origin of hood2

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening

Hood

[hoo d]
noun
  1. John Bell,1831–79, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
  2. Raymond Math·ew·son [math-yoo-suh n] /ˈmæθ yu sən/, 1881–1934, U.S. architect.
  3. Robin. Robin Hood.
  4. Thomas,1799–1845, English poet and humorist.
  5. Mount, a volcanic peak in N Oregon, in the Cascade Range. 11,253 feet (3430 meters).
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'hood

[hoo d]
noun
  1. Slang. neighborhood.
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Origin of 'hood

First recorded in 1985–90; by shortening

-hood

  1. a native English suffix denoting state, condition, character, nature, etc., or a body of persons of a particular character or class, formerly used in the formation of nouns: childhood; likelihood; knighthood; priesthood.
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Origin of -hood

Middle English -hode, -hod, Old English -hād (cognate with German -heit), special use of hād condition, state, order, quality, rank
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

kerchiefmantleveilshawlbonnetprotectorhatwimplepurdahcowlyashmakbabushkamantillacoifcapuchincovershadeawningcanopycalash

Examples from the Web for hood

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • We got his hat, and we picked up the hood of the sky-light, but could not find the boy.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • I had conducted so much and so violently since; but I was not too old to remember Biddy's hood.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • He was carrying his gown and hood—I suppose it was that—on his arm.

  • I can still see the tall old woman, with her brown cape and hood.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • My thin face was nearly covered by my hair, which was flattened down by my hood.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for hood

hood1

noun
  1. a loose head covering either attached to a cloak or coat or made as a separate garment
  2. something resembling this in shape or use
  3. the US and Canadian name for bonnet (def. 3)
  4. the folding roof of a convertible car
  5. a hoodlike garment worn over an academic gown, indicating its wearer's degree and university
  6. falconry a close-fitting cover, placed over the head and eyes of a falcon to keep it quiet when not hunting
  7. biology a structure or marking, such as the fold of skin on the head of a cobra, that covers or appears to cover the head or some similar part
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verb
  1. (tr) to cover or provide with or as if with a hood
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Derived Formshoodless, adjectivehoodlike, adjective

Word Origin

Old English hōd; related to Old High German huot hat, Middle Dutch hoet, Latin cassis helmet; see hat

hood2

noun
  1. slang short for hoodlum (def. 1)
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Hood

noun
  1. Robin See Robin Hood
  2. Samuel, 1st Viscount. 1724–1816, British admiral. He fought successfully against the French during the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars
  3. Thomas. 1799–1845, British poet and humorist: his work includes protest poetry, such as The Song of the Shirt (1843) and The Bridge of Sighs (1844)
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'hood

noun
  1. slang, mainly US short for neighbourhood
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-hood

suffix forming nouns
  1. indicating state or condition of beingmanhood; adulthood
  2. indicating a body of personsknighthood; priesthood
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Word Origin

Old English -hād
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

Word Origin and History for hood

n.1

"covering," Old English hod "hood," from Proto-Germanic *hodaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian hod "hood," Middle Dutch hoet, Dutch hoed "hat," Old High German huot "helmet, hat," German Hut "hat," Old Frisian hode "guard, protection"), from PIE *kadh- "cover" (see hat).

Modern spelling is early 1400s to indicate a "long" vowel, which is no longer pronounced as such. Meaning "removable cover for an automobile engine" attested by 1905. Little Red Riding Hood (1729) translates Charles Perrault's Petit Chaperon Rouge ("Contes du Temps Passé" 1697).

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n.2

"gangster," 1930, American English, shortened form of hoodlum.

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v.

"to put a hood on," c.1200, from hood (n.1). Related: Hooded; hooding.

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n.3

shortened form of neighborhood, by 1987, U.S. black slang.

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-hood

word-forming element meaning "state or condition of being," from Old English -had "condition, position," cognate with German -heit, Dutch -heid, all from Proto-Germanic *haidus "manner, quality," literally "bright appearance," from PIE (s)kai- (1) "bright, shining." Originally a free-standing word (see hade); in Modern English it survives only in this suffix.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper