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hotspur

[hot-spur]
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noun
  1. an impetuous or reckless person; a hothead.
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Origin of hotspur

1425–75; late Middle English; after Sir Henry Percy, to whom it was applied as a nickname
Related formshot·spurred, adjective

Percy

[pur-see]
noun
  1. Sir HenryHotspur, 1364–1403, English military and rebel leader.
  2. Thomas,1729–1811, English poet and antiquary: bishop of Dromore 1782–1811.
  3. Walker,1916–90, U.S. essayist and novelist.
  4. a male given name, form of Percival.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hotspur

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Hotspur interrupts her by calling the servant and giving him orders.

  • One condition she insisted on, however, namely, that Arthur should be her Hotspur.

  • Footnote 123: The whole of Anglesey was granted to Hotspur for life.

  • Hotspur must, therefore, have been born between the end of October 1365 and the end of October 1366.

  • I forgot to ask what you called him; I've named him Hotspur—he'll never be steady at his fences.

    Beyond

    John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for hotspur

hotspur

noun
  1. an impetuous or fiery person
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Word Origin

C15: from Hotspur, nickname of Sir Henry Percy

Hotspur

noun
  1. Harry Hotspur the nickname of Sir Henry PercySee Percy
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Percy

noun
  1. Sir Henry, known as Harry Hotspur. 1364–1403, English rebel, who was killed leading an army against Henry IV
  2. Thomas. 1729–1811, English bishop and antiquary. His Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765) stimulated the interest of Romantic writers in old English and Scottish ballads
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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