hose
[hohz]
- a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point: a garden hose; a fire hose.
- (used with a plural verb) an article of clothing for the foot and lower part of the leg; stocking or sock.
- (of men's attire in former times)
- an article of clothing for the leg, extending from about the knee to the ankle and worn with knee breeches.
- (used with a plural verb)knee breeches.
- (used with a plural verb)tights, as were worn with, and usually attached to, a doublet.
- British Dialect. a sheath, or sheathing part, as that enclosing a kernel of grain.
- Golf. hosel.
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- to water, wash, spray, or drench by means of a hose (often followed by down): to hose the garden; to hose down the ship's deck.
- Slang.
- to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.
- to defeat decisively.
- to reject.
- Chiefly Military.to attack or assault (an area) in order to gain control quickly (sometimes followed by down).
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Origin of hose
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hose
Contemporary Examples
I sucked on the hose that he handed me and was instantly really high.
After the sweep for junk and once good water pressure has been established, the hose is connected to the engine.
The Nozzle-man opens the mouth of the hose, releasing its stream while the Backup-man braces the weight.
We put a hose in her mouth so she could breath water, to keep her healthy and strong before we released her.
The seawater was higher than the fire hydrants, and the firefighters had to duck down into it to connect the hose.
Historical Examples
She turned the hose on the car and washed the dust from it carefully.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
The reply came: "No shooting allowed in Park; use the hose."
The Biography of a GrizzlyErnest Seton-Thompson
The piece which the mastiff had torn from his hose did not discourage Boxtel.
The Black TulipAlexandre Dumas (Pere)
I shouted scornfully, as they started to play the hose on her.
The HarborErnest Poole
The hose is of heavy duck, sometimes double, sewn by machine.
Hittel on Gold Mines and MiningJohn S. Hittell
hose1
- a flexible pipe, for conveying a liquid or gas
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- (sometimes foll by down) to wash, water, or sprinkle (a person or thing) with or as if with a hose
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Word Origin
C15: later use of hose ²
hose2
- stockings, socks, and tights collectively
- history a man's garment covering the legs and reaching up to the waist; worn with a doublet
- half-hose socks
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Word Origin
Old English hosa; related to Old High German hosa, Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for hose
n.
late Old English, hosa "covering for the leg," from Proto-Germanic *husan (cf. Old Saxon, Old Norse hosa, Middle High German hose "covering for the leg," German Hose "trousers"), literally "covering," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)). Old French hose, Old Spanish huesa are of Germanic origin. Sense of "flexible rubber tube for liquid" is first attested late 15c.
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v.
c.1300, "to furnish with stockings," from hose (n.). Meaning "to water down with a hose" is from 1889. Related: Hosed; hosing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper