Etymology dictionary

harsh (v.) — hawthorn (n.)

harsh (v.)

1580s, "sound harshly," from harsh (adj.). Meaning "make harsh, subject to harshness" is by 1991. Related: Harshed; harshing. Harshen is attested from 1821.

Middle English hert, from Old English heorot "hart, stag, male of the red deer," from Proto-Germanic *herutaz (source also of Old Saxon hirot, Old Frisian and Dutch hert "stag, deer," Old High German hiruz, Old Norse hjörtr, German Hirsch "deer, stag, hart"), perhaps from PIE *keru-, extended form of root *ker- (1) "horn; head." For vowel change, see marsh.

In later times, a male deer after its fifth year, when the crown antler has appeared. The female is a hind (n.).

hartebeest (n.)

1781, from Afrikaans, from Dutch hertebeest "antelope," from hert "hart" (see hart) + beest "beast, ox" (in South African Dutch "steer, cattle"), from Middle Dutch beeste, from Old French beste "beast" (see beast).

hartshorn (n.)

"ammonium carbonate," Old English heortes hornes, from hart + horn (n.). So called because a main early source of ammonia was the antlers of harts.

harum-scarum (adv.)

1670s (harum-starum), probably a rhyming compound of obsolete hare (v.) "harry" + scare (v.), with 'um as a reduced form of them, the whole perhaps meant to be mock Latin. As an adjective from 1751; as a noun, "reckless person," from 1784.

haruspex (n.)

1580s, from Latin haruspex (plural haruspices) "soothsayer by means of entrails," first element from PIE root *ghere- "gut, entrail;" second element from Latin spic- "beholding, inspecting," from PIE *speks "he who sees," from root *spek- "to observe." The practice is Etruscan. Related: Haruspical; haruspication.

Harvard

U.S. college named for John Harvard (1607-1638), Puritan immigrant minister who bequeathed half his estate and 260 books to the yet-unorganized college that had been ordered by the Massachusetts colonial government. The surname is cognate with Hereward, Old English hereweard, literally "army guard."

Harvey

masc. proper name introduced in England by Bretons at the Conquest; from Old French Hervé, Old Breton Aeruiu, Hærviu, literally "battle-worthy."

harvest (v.)

c. 1400, from harvest (n.). Of wild animals, by 1946; of cells, from 1946. Related: Harvested; harvesting.

harvester (n.)

"a reaper," 1590s; agent noun from harvest (v.). Meaning "machine for reaping and binding field crops" is from 1847.

harvest (n.)

Old English hærfest "autumn," as one of the four seasons, "period between August and November," from Proto-Germanic *harbitas (source also of Old Saxon hervist, Old Frisian and Dutch herfst, German Herbst "autumn," Old Norse haust "harvest"), from PIE root *kerp- "to gather, pluck, harvest."

In Old English and Middle English it was primarily a season name, with only an implied reference to the gathering of crops. The meaning "the time of gathering crops" is attested by mid-13c., and the sense was extended to the action itself and the product of the action (after c. 1300). After c. 1500 these were the main senses and the borrowed autumn and repurposed fall (n.) supplied the season name.

The figurative uses begin by 1530s. As an adjective, from late 14c. Harvest home (1570s) was a festive celebration of the bringing home the last of the harvest; harvest moon (1704) is that which is full within a fortnight of the autumnal equinox.

has-been (n.)

"one who has outlived his fame," c. 1600 (as hes-beene), from the verbal phrase; see has + been.

hasenpfeffer (n.)

1873, from German hasenpfeffer, from Hase "hare" (see hare (n.)) + pfeffer "pepper" (see pepper (n.)).

hash (v.)

1650s, "to hack, chop into small pieces," from French hacher "chop up" (14c.), from Old French hache "ax" (see hatchet). Hash browns (1926) is short for hashed browned potatoes (1886), with the -ed omitted, as in mash potatoes. The hash marks on a football field were so called by 1954, from their similarity to hash marks, armed forces slang for "service stripes on the sleeve of a military uniform" (1909), which supposedly were called that because they mark the number of years one has had free food (that is, hash (n.1)) from the Army; but perhaps there is a connection with the noun form of hatch (v.2).

hash (n.1)

"a stew of meat cut into small pieces," 1660s, from hash (v.). Meaning "a mix, a mess" is from 1735. Cryptographic use in computing is by 1979.

hash (n.2)

short for hashish, 1959.

hashish (n.)

also hasheesh, 1590s, from Arabic hashīsh "powdered hemp, hemp," extended from sense "herbage, dry herb, rough grass, hay."

Hasidic (adj.)

also Chasidic, 1927, from Hasidim + -ic.

Hasidim

also Chasidim, "adherents of a conservative Jewish religious movement founded 1750 by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer Baal Shem Tobh," 1812, from Hebrew hasidhim, literally "pious ones," plural of hasidh "kind, pious." Earlier the Hebrew word was used in reference to an anti-Hellenistic faction during the time of the Maccabean Wars.

hasp (n.)

Old English hæpse "fastening, clip," with later Old English metathesis of -p- and -s-. Related to Old Norse hespa "hasp, fastening," Middle Dutch, German haspe "clamp, hinge, hook," but all are of uncertain origin. The meaning "a quantity of yarn" is from c. 1400 but perhaps not the same word.

hassle (v.)

1951, from hassle (n.). Related: Hassled; hassling.

hassle (n.)

"fuss, trouble," 1945, American English (in "Down Beat" magazine), perhaps from U.S. Southern dialectal hassle "to pant, breathe noisily" (1928), of unknown origin; or perhaps from hatchel "to harass" (1800), which may be a variant of hazel, the name of the plant that furnished switches for whippings. Noted in 1946 as a show biz vogue word.

hassock (n.)

Old English hassuc "clump of grass, coarse grass," of unknown origin. Sense of "thick cushion" is first recorded 1510s, with the likely connection being the perceived similarity of a kneeling cushion and a tuft of grass. Related: Hassocky.

hast (v.)

archaic second person singular present indicative of have, from Old English hæfst.

haste (v.)

late 13c., from Old French haster "hurry, make haste; urge, hurry along" (Modern French hâter), from haste "haste, urgency" (see haste). Now largely superseded by hasten (1560s). Related: Hasted; hasting.

haste (n.)

late 13c., "hurrying, haste; celerity, swiftness, speed;" c. 1300, "need for quick action, urgency;" from Old French haste "haste, urgency, hastiness" (12c., Modern French hâte), from Frankish *haifst "violence" or another Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *haifstiz (source also of Gothic haifsts "strife," Old English hæste "violent, vehement, impetuous"). From late 14c. as "undue haste, rashness, unwise or unseemly quickness." To make haste "act quickly" is recorded by 1530s.

Hastings

town in Sussex, site of the great battle in the Norman conquest of England (Oct. 14, 1066), Old English Hæstingas "The Hastings; settlement of the family or followers of a man called *Hæsta;" literally "Hæsta's People."

hasta la vista

Spanish, literally "until the meeting (again)," salutation in parting.

hasta luego

Spanish, "until soon;" salutation in parting.

hasten (v.)

1560s, transitive and intransitive, extended form of haste (v.) with -en (1). Related: Hastened; hastening.

hasty (adj.)

mid-14c., "early; demanding haste, urgent; quick-tempered, angry;" late 14c. "speedy, swift, quick," by 1500s, from haste (n.) + -y (2); replacing or nativizing earlier hastif (c. 1300) "eager, impetuous," from Old French hastif "speedy, rapid; forward, advanced; rash, impetuous" (12c., Modern French hâtif), from haste (see haste (n.)). Meaning "requiring haste" is late 14c. (this is the sense in hasty-pudding, 1590s, so called because it was made quickly); that of "eager, rash" is from early 15c. Related: Hastiness. Old French also had a form hasti (for loss of terminal -f, compare joli/jolif, etc.), which may have influenced the form of the English word.

hastily (adv.)

c. 1300, "quickly," from hasty + -ly (2). Meaning "rashly, without due consideration" is 1580s. Old English hæstlice meant "violently."

hat (n.)

Old English hæt "hat, head covering" (variously glossing Latin pileus, galerus, mitra, tiara), from Proto-Germanic *hattuz "hood, cowl" (source also of Frisian hat, Old Norse hattr, höttr "a hood or cowl"), of uncertain etymology; it has been compared with Lithuanian kuodas "tuft or crest of a bird" and Latin cassis "helmet" (but this is said to be from Etruscan).

To throw (one's) hat in the ring was originally (1847) to take up a challenge in prize-fighting. To eat one's hat (1770), expressing what one will do if something he considers a sure thing turns out not to be, is said to have been originally eat Old Rowley's [Charles II's] hat.

hat-box (n.)

also hatbox, 1739, from hat (n.) + box (n.1).

hatch (n.3)

"engraved lines or strokes," 1650s, from hatch (v.2).

hatch (v.1)

early 13c., hachen, "to produce young from eggs by incubation," probably from an unrecorded Old English *hæccan, of unknown origin, related to Middle High German, German hecken "to mate" (used of birds). Meaning "to come forth from an egg," also "cause to come forth from an egg" are late 14c. Figurative use (of plots, etc.) is from early 14c. Related: Hatched; hatching.

hatch (v.2)

"engrave, draw fine parallel lines," late 14c., from Old French hachier "chop up, hack" (14c.), from hache "ax" (see hatchet). Related: Hatched; hatching. The noun meaning "an engraved line or stroke" is from 1650s.

hatch (n.1)

"opening, grated gate, half-door," Old English hæc (genitive hæcce) "fence, grating, gate," from Proto-Germanic *hak- (source also of Middle High German heck, Dutch hek "fence, gate"), a word of uncertain origin. This apparently is the source of many of the Hatcher surnames; "one who lives near a gate." Sense of "opening in a ship's deck" is first recorded mid-13c. Drinking phrase down the hatch attested by 1931 (the image is nautical).

hatch (n.2)

"that which has hatched; action of hatching," 1620s, from hatch (v.1).

hatchback

type of rear door of an automobile, 1970, from hatch (n.) + back (n.).

hatchery (n.)

1875, from hatch (v.1) + -ery.

hatchet (n.)

c. 1300 (mid-12c. in surnames), "small axe with a short handle," designed to be used by one hand, from Old French hachete "small combat-axe, hatchet," diminutive of hache "axe, battle-axe, pickaxe," possibly from Frankish *happja or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *hapjo- (source also of Old High German happa "sickle, scythe").

This is perhaps from PIE root *kop- "to beat, strike" (source also of Greek kopis "knife," koptein "to strike, smite," komma "piece cut off;" Lithuanian kaplys "hatchet," kapti, kapiu "to hew, fell;" Old Church Slavonic skopiti "castrate," Russian kopat' "to hack, hew, dig;" Albanian kep "to hew").

Hatchet-face in reference to one with sharp and prominent features is from 1650s. In Middle English, hatch itself was used in a sense "battle-axe." In 14c., hang up (one's) hatchet meant "stop what one is doing." Phrase bury the hatchet "lay aside instruments of war, forget injuries and make peace" (1754) is from a Native American peacemaking custom described from 1680. Hatchet-man was originally California slang for "hired Chinese assassin" (1880), later extended figuratively to journalists who attacked the reputation of a public figure (1944).

hatchling (n.)

"newly hatched creature," 1854, from hatch (v.1) + diminutive suffix -ling.

hatchway (n.)

"square or oblong opening in the deck of a ship," 1620s, from hatch (n.) + way (n.).

hate (n.)

Old English hete "hatred, spite, envy, malice, hostility," from Proto-Germanic *hatis- (source also of Old Norse hattr, Old Frisian hat, Dutch haat, Old High German has, German Hass, Gothic hatis; see hate (v.)). Altered in Middle English to conform with the verb.

Hate mail is first attested 1951. Hate crime is attested by 1988. Hate speech in modern use is attested by 1990. The term is found in a translation, published in 1898, of the Anglo-Saxon poem called "The Fall of the Angels," telling of Satan's revolt, where it renders Anglo-Saxon hetespraece:

hate (v.)

Old English hatian "regard with extreme ill-will, have a passionate aversion to, treat as an enemy," from Proto-Germanic *haton (source also of Old Saxon haton, Old Norse hata, German hassen, Gothic hatan "to hate"), from PIE root *kad- "sorrow, hatred" (source also of Avestan sadra- "grief, sorrow, calamity;" Greek kēdos "care, trouble, sorrow, mourning, funeral rites;" Welsh cas "pain, anger"). Related: Hated; hating. French haine (n.), haïr (v.) are from Germanic.

hateful (adj.)

mid-14c., "full of hate;" late 14c., "exciting hate;" from hate (n.) + -ful. Related: Hatefully; hatefulness.

hater (n.)

"one who hates, an enemy," late 14c., agent noun from hate (v.).

hath (v.)

archaic third person singular present indicative of have, from Old English hæfð.

hatha-yoga (n.)

1911, from Sanskrit hatha "force, violence, forced meditation" + yoga (see yoga).

Hathor

cow-goddess of love and joy in ancient Egypt, identified by the Greeks with their Aphrodite, from Greek Hathor, from Egyptian Het-Heru "mansion of Horus," or possibly Het-Herh "the house above."

hatless (adj.)

mid-15c., from hat + -less.

hatred (n.)

early 13c., from hate (v.) + rare suffix -red (indicating condition or state), from Old English ræden "state, condition," related to verb rædan "to advise, discuss, rule, read, guess" (from PIE root *re- "to reason, count;" compare the second element of kindred and proper names Æþelræd and Alfred).

hat-rack (n.)

1833, from hat (n.) + rack (n.1).

hatter (n.)

"maker or seller of hats," late 14c., from hat + -er (1).

Mad as a hatter, originally a Scottish phrase, is from 1829 as "demented, violently insane," 1837 as "enraged, violently angry;" an earlier expression was to do something like a hatter (1826) "in a frenzy or energetically" (compare colloquial like mad in the same sense; see mad (adj.)). The erroneous form mad as an adder is by 1843.

The word in the phrase is perhaps from Scots hatter, "disorder; swarm;" as a verb "to bully, harass." The word has three possible origins, with a convergence likely: (1) an onomatopoeic formation similar to words like batter and clatter, (2) a variant of Scots "hotter," (itself a variant of totter) and (3) influenced by the Norse dialect "hatra," meaning to persecute or harry.

hat trick (n.)

in the sports sense, 1879, originally in cricket, "taking three wickets on three consecutive deliveries;" extended to other sports c. 1909, especially ice hockey ("In an earlier contest we had handed Army a 6-2 defeat at West Point as Billy Sloane performed hockey's spectacular 'hat trick' by scoring three goals" ["Princeton Alumni Weekly," Feb. 10, 1941]). So called allegedly because it entitled the bowler to receive a hat from his club commemorating the feat (or entitled him to pass the hat for a cash collection), but the term probably has been influenced by the image of a conjurer pulling objects from his hat (an act attested by 1876). The term was used earlier for a different sort of magic trick:

hauberk (n.)

c. 1300, from Old French hauberc "coat of mail," earlier holberc, from Frankish *halsberg or a similar Germanic source, literally "neck-cover" (cognates: Old English halsbearh, Old High German halsberc). The second element is *bergan "to cover, protect" (from PIE root *bhergh- (1) "to hide, protect"). The first is *hals "neck," (source also of Old English, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, German, Gothic hals, from PIE root from PIE root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move round; sojourn, dwell."

haught (adj.)

c. 1300, haut, "great, high;" mid-15c., "high in one's own estimation, haughty," from Old French haut (11c.) "main, principal; proud, noble, dignified; eminent; loud; grand," literally "high," from Latin altus "high," literally "grown tall," from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish;" with initial h- in French by influence of Frankish hoh "high." Spelling in English altered to -gh- 16c. by influence of caught, naught, etc., or of high, or perhaps by the belief that it was a Germanic word. Related: Haughtily.

haughty (adj.)

"proud and disdainful," 1520s, a redundant extension of haught (q.v.) "high in one's own estimation" by addition of -y (2) on model of might/mighty, naught/naughty, etc. Middle English had also hautif in this sense (mid-15c., from Old French hautif), and hautein "proud, haughty, arrogant; presumptuous" (c. 1300), from Old French hautain. Related: Haughtily.

haughtiness (n.)

1550s, from haughty + -ness. Earlier was haughtness (late 15c.), from haut (adj.).

haul (n.)

1660s, "act of pulling," from haul (v.). Meaning "something gained" is from 1776, a figurative use from the meaning "the quantity of fish taken in one haul of a net," or perhaps on the notion of "drawing" a profit. Meaning "distance over which something must be hauled" (usually with long or short) is attested from 1873 in railroad use, in reference to the relative length of transportation, which determined the rate paid for it (long hauls = lower rate per mile).

haul (v.)

"pull or draw forcibly," 1580s, hall, variant of Middle English halen "to drag, pull" (see hale (v.)). Spelling with -au- or -aw- is from early 17c. Related: Hauled; hauling. To haul off "pull back a little" before striking or otherwise acting is American English, 1802.

haulage (n.)

1826, "action of hauling," from haul (v.) + -age.

hauler (n.)

1670s, from haul (v.) + -er (1).

haunch (n.)

early 13c., from Old French hanche "hip, thigh; haunch" (12c.), from Frankish *hanka or a similar Germanic source (cognates: Old High German hinkan "to limp," ancha "leg," literally "joint;" Middle Dutch hanke "haunch"). "It is only since the 18th c. that the spelling haunch has displaced hanch" [OED]. Related: Haunches.

haunch-bone (n.)

late 14c., from haunch + bone (n.).

haunt (v.)

early 13c., "to practice habitually, busy oneself with, take part in," from Old French hanter "to frequent, visit regularly; have to do with, be familiar with; indulge in, cultivate" (12c.), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse heimta "bring home," from Proto-Germanic *haimatjanan "to go or bring home," from *haimaz- "home" (from PIE root *tkei- "to settle, dwell, be home").

Meaning "to frequent (a place)" is from c. 1300 in English. In Middle English to haunte scole was "attend school," and in Middle English as in Old French the verb had a secondary sense of "have sexual intercourse with." Use in reference to a spirit or ghost returning to the house where it had lived perhaps was in Proto-Germanic, but if so it was lost or buried; revived by Shakespeare's plays, it is first recorded 1590 in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Old French had a noun derivative, hantise "obsession, obsessive fear" (14c.).

haunts (n.)

"place or places one frequents," early 14c.; see haunt (n.).

haunt (n.)

c. 1300, "place frequently visited," also in Middle English, "a habit, custom" (early 14c.), from Old French hant "frequentation; place frequently visited," from hanter (see haunt (v.)). The meaning "spirit that haunts a place, ghost" is first recorded 1843, originally in stereotypical African-American vernacular, from the later meaning of the verb.

haunted (adj.)

early 14c., "accustomed;" mid-14c., "stirred, aroused;" early 15c., "frequent;" 1570s, "much-frequented;" past-participle adjective from haunt (v.). Meaning "visited by ghosts" is from 1711; haunted house attested by 1733.

haunting (adj.)

late 14c., present-participle adjective from haunt (v.). Middle English hauntingly meant "frequently" (mid-15c.); sense of "so as to haunt one's thoughts or memory" is from 1859.

hausfrau (n.)

1798, from German Hausfrau, literally "housewife;" see house (n.) + frau.

haute (adj.)

French, literally "high," fem. of haut (see haught). Haute bourgeoisie "the (French) upper-middle class" is in English from 1804.

hautboy (n.)

"oboe, double-reeded woodwind instrument," 1570s, from French hautbois "high wood" (15c.; see oboe, which is the Italian phonetic spelling of the French word). The haut is used here in its secondary sense of "high-pitched." In early use frequently nativized as hoboy, hawboy, etc.

haute cuisine (n.)

1829, French, literally "high(-class) cooking;" see haught + cuisine. Usually in italics until 1960s.

hauteur (n.)

"a haughty bearing, arrogance of manner," 1620s, from French hauteur "haughtiness, arrogance," literally "height," from Old French hauture "height, loftiness; grandeur, majesty" (12c.), from haut (see haught).

Havana

Cuban capital city, founded 1514 by Diego Velázquez as San Cristóbal de la Habana "St. Christopher of the Habana," apparently the name of a local native people. The Spanish adjective form is Habanero. Meaning "cigar made in Havana" is by 1826.

have (v.)

Old English habban "to own, possess; be subject to, experience," from Proto-Germanic *habejanan (source also of Old Norse hafa, Old Saxon hebbjan, Old Frisian habba, German haben, Gothic haban "to have"), from PIE root *kap- "to grasp." Not related to Latin habere, despite similarity in form and sense; the Latin cognate is capere "seize.

Sense of "possess, have at one's disposal" (I have a book) is a shift from older languages, where the thing possessed was made the subject and the possessor took the dative case (as in Latin est mihi liber "I have a book," literally "there is to me a book"). Used as an auxiliary in Old English, too (especially to form present perfect tense); the word has taken on more functions over time; Modern English he had better would have been Old English him (dative) wære betere.

To have to for "must" (1570s) is from sense of "possess as a duty or thing to be done" (Old English). Phrase have a nice day as a salutation after a commercial transaction attested by 1970, American English. Phrase have (noun), will (verb) is from 1954, originally from comedian Bob Hope, in the form Have tux, will travel; Hope described this as typical of vaudevillians' ads in Variety, indicating a willingness and readiness to perform anywhere.

haven (n.)

late Old English hæfen "haven, port," from Old Norse höfn "haven, harbor" or directly from Proto-Germanic *hafno- (source also of Danish havn, Middle Low German havene, German Hafen), perhaps from PIE root *kap- "to grasp" (source of have) on notion of place that "holds" ships. But it might rather be related to Old Norse haf, Old English hæf "sea" (see haff). Figurative sense of "refuge," now practically the only sense, is c. 1200. Havener "harbor master" is attested from mid-14c.

have-not (n.)

"poor person," 1742, from have + not. Have in the sense of "one who 'has,' one of the wealthier class of persons" is from the same source. Earliest in translation of "Don Quixote:

haver (n.1)

"oats," Northern English, late 13c., probably from Old Norse hafre, from Proto-Germanic *habron- (source also of Old Norse hafri, Old Saxon havoro, Dutch haver, Old High German habaro, German Haber, Hafer). Buck suggests it is perhaps literally "goat-food" and compares Old Norse hafr "he-goat." "Haver is a common word in the northern countries for oats." [Johnson]

haver (n.2)

"owner, possessor," late 14c., agent noun from have.

haversack (n.)

1735, from French havresac (1670s), from Low German hafersach "cavalry trooper's bag for horse provender," literally "oat sack," from the common Germanic word for "oat" (see haver (n.1)) + sack (n.1).

havoc (n.)

early 15c., from the expression cry havoc "give the signal to pillage" (Anglo-French crier havok, late 14c.). Havok, the signal to soldiers to seize plunder, is from Old French havot "pillaging, looting" (in crier havot), which is related to haver "to seize, grasp," hef "hook," probably from a Germanic source (see hawk (n.)), or from Latin habere "to have, possess." General sense of "devastation" first recorded late 15c.

haw (n.)

"enclosure," Old English haga "enclosure, fortified enclosure; hedge," from Proto-Germanic *hag- (source also of Old Norse hagi, Old Saxon hago, German Hag "hedge;" Middle Dutch hage, Dutch haag, as in the city name The Hague), from PIE root *kagh- "to catch seize; wickerwork fence" (see hedge (n.), and compare hag). Meaning "fruit of the hawthorn bush" (Old English) is perhaps short for *hægberie.

haw (v.)

"hesitate in speech," 1580s, imitative. Related: Hawed; hawing. The noun in this sense is from c. 1600. Haw-haw in reference to a style of affected upper class British enunciation is from 1841, imitative.

Hawaii

from Hawaiian Hawai'i, from Proto-Polynesian *hawaiki. Said to mean "Place of the Gods" and be a reference to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. See also sandwich. Related: Hawaiian (1825). First record of Hawaiian shirt is from 1943.

hawbuck (n.)

"unmannerly lout," 1803.

hawk (v.1)

"to sell in the open, peddle," late 15c., back-formation from hawker "itinerant vendor" (c. 1400), agent noun from Middle Low German höken "to peddle, carry on the back, squat," from Proto-Germanic *huk-. Related: Hawked; hawking. Despite the etymological connection with stooping under a burden on one's back, a hawker is technically distinguished from a peddler by use of a horse and cart or a van.

hawk (n.)

c. 1300, hauk, earlier havek (c. 1200), from Old English hafoc (West Saxon), heafuc (Mercian), heafoc, "hawk," from Proto-Germanic *habukaz (source also of Old Norse haukr, Old Saxon habuc, Middle Dutch havik, Old High German habuh, German Habicht "hawk"), from PIE root *kap- "to grasp" (source also of Russian kobec "a kind of falcon"). Transferred sense of "militarist" attested from 1956, probably based on its opposite, dove.

hawk (v.3)

"to clear one's throat," 1580s, imitative.

hawk (v.2)

"to hunt with a hawk," mid-14c., from hawk (n.).

hawker (n.)

"one who hunts with a hawk," Old English hafocere; see hawk (n.) + -er (1). For sense "one who sells or peddles," see hawk (v.1).

Hawkeye (n.)

"inhabitant of Iowa," 1839, said to have been the name of an Indian chief, from hawk (n.) + eye (n.). It also was one of the nicknames of the hero, Natty Bumppo, in Fenimore Cooper's "Leatherstocking" novels (1826).

hawkish (adj.)

"hawk-like," by 1703, from hawk (n.) + -ish. Sense of "militaristic" is from 1965, from hawk in the transferred sense.

hawkshaw (n.)

"detective," 1866, U.S. slang, from name of the detective in "The Ticket-of-Leave Man," 1863 play by English dramatist Tom Taylor (1817-1880); it later was used in the comic strip "Hawkshaw the Detective" (1913-1947) by U.S. cartoonist Gus Mager (1878-1956). The surname is attested from late 13c., from a place name in Lancashire, with shaw "undergrowth, woodland, scrub," from Old English sceaga.

hawse (n.)

"part of a ship's bow containing the hawse-holes," late 15c., from Old English or Old Norse hals "part of a ship's prow," literally "neck," from Proto-Germanic *h(w)alsaz, the general Germanic word (source also of Gothic, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, German hals), cognate with Latin collum (see collar (n.)), from PIE root from PIE root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move round; sojourn, dwell." Respelled with -aw- 16c.

hawser (n.)

"large rope used for mooring, towing, etc.," late 13c., from Anglo-French haucer, from Old French halcier, haucier, literally "hoister," from Vulgar Latin *altiare, alteration of Late Latin altare "make high," from altus "high" (from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish"). Altered in English on mistaken association with hawse and perhaps haul.

hawthorn (n.)

Old English hagaþorn, earlier hæguþorn "hawthorn, white thorn," from obsolete haw "hedge or encompassing fence" (see haw (n.)) + thorn. So called because it was used in hedges. A common Germanic compound: Middle Dutch hagedorn, German hagedorn, Swedish hagtorn, Old Norse hagþorn.