hair
Pluralhairs (some meanings)
Pluralhairs (some meanings)
- 1The fine threadlike strands that grow from the skin of people and animals, especially on the head; also a single such strand.
He let his hair grow long over the summer.
Thick winter hair kept the husky warm in the snow.
UsageTakes a singular verb: my hair is wet (not
incorrect: my hair are). Hairs means single strands. - 2A very small distance or degree; the narrowest measurable margin between two things.
His putt missed the cup by a hair.
The two readings differ by only a hair.
UsageMost often by a hair; also as a measure: turn it a hair to the left.
Similarwhisker, fraction, inch
Note
It names the smallest unit of distance or degree that ordinary speech bothers with, the same idea packed into the compound hairbreadth.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Hairbreadth is a compound expressing a very small distance or amount. en.wiktionary.org
- 3A thin hairlike strand growing from a plant, an insect or other invertebrate, or projecting from the surface of a material.
Stinging hairs on the nettle inject an irritant when touched.
A hooked hair on the bean leaf can trap small insects.
Note
Botany uses the word for outgrowths of a plant's epidermis, built from one cell or from several. Botanists sort them by shape: pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated, the last meaning star-shaped. They are not confined to the outer surface either. Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the yellow frog lily, Nuphar, so a plant's hairs can lie inside its tissue as well as on it.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
- Plant hairs are epidermal outgrowths consisting of one or several cells. en.wikipedia.org
- Botanists distinguish pointed, hooked and knobbed hairs by their shape. jpds.co.in
- Stellated hairs are star-shaped. en.wiktionary.org
- Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of Nuphar, called the yellow frog lily, so plant hairs can occur inside tissue. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meanings
- 4To grow hair in a spot that was previously bald.
The vet said the shaved patch on the dog's leg would hair over within a few weeks.
The saddle sores on the old mare healed in June and had haired over by the time the fall shows began.
UsageUsed with over: the patch had haired over.
Note
Regrowth across a bare patch, and the verb rarely stands alone. A scar hairs over, and a healing animal hairs up and heals over. Farm writing such as the National Stockman and Farmer (1887) uses it to report that a bare spot has healed over cleanly.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- National Stockman and Farmer contains an example attributed to 1887. en.wiktionary.org
- 5To remove the hair from a surface, especially an animal hide during tanning.
- 6Complexity or difficulty; the tangled, troublesome quality that makes a task or situation hard to handle.
- 7To provide something with hair, such as a figure, or a violin bow with horsehair.
- 8A locking spring or safety device in the lock of a rifle or similar firearm, released by slight pressure on a hair-trigger.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English her, from Old English hǣr, from Proto-Germanic *hērą, perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European root *kes- ("to scrape, comb"); it is related to Dutch haar, German Haar and Swedish hår. The irregular ai spelling came from the influence of Middle English here ("haircloth") and Old French haire.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Hair descends through Middle English her and Old English hǣr from Proto-Germanic *hērą. en.wiktionary.org
- Proto-Germanic *hērą may derive from Proto-Indo-European *kes-, meaning 'to scrape, comb'. en.wiktionary.org
- Hair is related to Dutch haar and German Haar. en.wiktionary.org
- Swedish hår shares the Germanic ancestry of English hair. en.wiktionary.org
- The irregular ai spelling reflects Middle English here ('haircloth') influenced by Old French haire. en.wiktionary.org