horsehair

[ hawrs-hair ]

/ ˈhɔrsˌhɛər /

Save This Word!

noun

a hair or the hair of a horse, especially from the mane or tail.

a sturdy, glossy fabric woven of this hair.

adjective

of or relating to horsehair: a horsehair mattress.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON OPPOSITES OF RED BEFORE YOU TURN SCARLET

We have a challenge that will make you blush: do you know the many words and ways to describe the opposite of red?

Question 1 of 7

Which of the following colors is used to symbolize AIR?

white

green

red

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of horsehair

First recorded in 1275–1325, horsehair is from Middle English hors here. See horse, hair

OTHER WORDS FROM horsehair

horsehaired, adjective

Words nearby horsehair

horseflesh, horse fly, horse gentian, horse guard, Horse Guards, horsehair, horsehair-blight fungus, horsehair fungus, horsehair toadstool, horsehair worm, horsehead

How to use horsehair in a sentence

Hákon Sverrisson The mattress I slept on was made from horsehair.
Revisiting ‘The Visitors’: An oral history of Ragnar Kjartansson’s multimedia masterpiece|Sebastian Smee, Gabriel Florit, Joanne Lee|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
And the other is what is called a horsehair worm that overtakes the bodies of insects.
Vampires without Glitter or Girl Problems: Inside Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Strain’|Andrew Romano|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Atop the mattress and box spring, Hughes reveals two “toppers,” stuffed with cashmere, horsehair, and lambswool.
Savoir Beds’ Royal State Bed: Just Perfect, If You Have $175,000|Daniel Gross|June 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There was Simpsons underwear, a My Little Pony–inspired dress, and a frock made out of rainbow horsehair.
Phaedra Parks of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ at Jeremy Scott NYFW Show|Isabel Wilkinson|February 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They placed cotton and fine wool all about the room, and even endeavoured to construct small nests of wool and horsehair.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
A horsehair footstool, borrowed for the purpose from Mr. Diamond's parlour, was under her feet.
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3)|Frances Eleanor Trollope
He squeezed out the juice of flowers, made brushes of horsehair, and began to paint.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
Vinegar eels, the horsehair worm, the pork worm or trichina and the dread hookworm are examples.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
Mr. Furnival's reputation has spread itself wherever stuff gowns and horsehair wigs are held in estimation.
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for horsehair

horsehair

/ (ˈhɔːsˌhɛə) /

noun

hair taken chiefly from the tail or mane of a horse, used in upholstery and for fabric, etc
(as modifier)a horsehair mattress

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