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hourglass

[ ouuhr-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.
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Origin of hourglass

First recorded in 1505–15; hour + glass
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hourglass in a sentence

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
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