hourglass

[ ouuh r-glas, -glahs, ou-er- ]

/ ˈaʊərˌglæs, -ˌglɑs, ˈaʊ ər- /

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noun

an instrument for measuring time, consisting of two bulbs of glass joined by a narrow passage through which a quantity of sand or mercury runs in just an hour.

adjective

having a notably slim or narrow waist, midsection, or joining segment: She has an hourglass figure.

Nearby words

houppelande, hour, hour angle, hour circle, hour hand, hourglass, hourglass contraction, hourglass murmur, hourglass stomach, houri, hourlong

Origin of hourglass

First recorded in 1505–15; hour + glass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hourglass

There were bold minidresses with molded bodices that exaggerated an hourglass figure.
Paris’s Fashion Finale|Robin Givhan|October 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes his leather jackets were sporty and rakish, at others they were sculpted into prim, hourglass shapes.
Paris Fashion Week Frenzy: Let’s Focus on Clothes|Robin Givhan|March 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He was a hideous, cadaverous-looking deity, clad in a winding sheet, and held an hourglass and a scythe in his hand.
Myths of Greece and Rome|H. A. Guerber
The latter had an hourglass on his head, and in his hand a scythe, with which he aimed a blow at Mercury's feet.
Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions|Charles Mackay

In short, the face of things is quite changed, and methinks you would smile to see my hourglass hanging in the place of the clock.
Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin; Written by Himself, Volume II (of 2)|Benjamin Franklin
One and all worshiped somewhat languidly, with frequent glances at the hourglass upon the pulpit.
Audrey|Mary Johnston
An hourglass is at hand and a dove is just dropping a poppy, the flower of sleep and death, into her open hands.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13|Elbert Hubbard

British Dictionary definitions for hourglass

hourglass

/ (ˈaʊəˌɡlɑːs) /

noun

a device consisting of two transparent chambers linked by a narrow channel, containing a quantity of sand that takes a specified time to trickle to one chamber from the other

(modifier) well-proportioned with a small waistan hourglass figure

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

hourglass

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of hourglass

Examples from the Web for hourglass

British Dictionary definitions for hourglass

hourglass

noun