hose

[hohz]

noun

plural

hose, hoses ,

plural

hosen .

1. a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point.

   a garden hose; a fire hose.

2. (used with a plural verb),  an article of clothing for the foot and lower part of the leg; stocking or sock.

3. (of men's attire in former times)

   1. an article of clothing for the leg, extending from about the knee to the ankle and worn with knee breeches.

   2. (used with a plural verb),  knee breeches.

   3. (used with a plural verb),  tights, as were worn with, and usually attached to, a doublet.

4. British Dialect.,  a sheath, or sheathing part, as that enclosing a kernel of grain.

5. Golf.,  hosel.

verb (used with object)

hosed, hosing 

1. to water, wash, spray, or drench by means of a hose (often followed bydown ).

   to hose the garden; to hose down the ship's deck.

2. Slang.

   1. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.

   2. to defeat decisively.

   3. to reject.

   4. Chiefly Military.,  to attack or assault (an area) in order to gain control quickly (sometimes followed bydown ).

hose

¹

/ həʊz /

noun

1. stockings, socks, and tights collectively

2. history a man's garment covering the legs and reaching up to the waist; worn with a doublet

3. socks

hose

²

/ həʊz /

noun

1. a flexible pipe, for conveying a liquid or gas

verb

1. (sometimes foll by down) to wash, water, or sprinkle (a person or thing) with or as if with a hose

Other Word Forms

• hoseless adjective
• hoselike adjective
• unhosed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hose¹

before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa, German Hose; (v.) Middle English: to provide with hose, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hose¹

Old English hosa; related to Old High German hosa, Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa

Origin of hose²

C15: later use of _hose ²

Example Sentences

Anyone who bought gold in the late 1970s or early 1980s got hosed — while stocks and bonds boomed.

Read more on MarketWatch

The inmates clear brush and dig containment lines, but don’t wield hoses.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That night, the LAFD, with help from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, used water drops from aircraft and hose lines, as well as hand lines dug by L.A.

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On Jan. 2, federal authorities said, “LAFD personnel returned to the scene to collect the fire hoses. It appeared to them that the fire was fully extinguished,” the affidavit read.

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Jan. 2: “LAFD personnel returned to the scene to collect the fire hoses. It appeared to them that the fire was fully extinguished.”

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Related Words

• hosiery 
• sock 
• tights 
• tube 
• tubing