# hip

Pronunciation: say "HIP" /hɪp/

## Noun

1. The bony region where the pelvis and the top of the thigh bone meet, along with the surrounding flesh.
   - Simple: The part on each side of your body where the leg joins the lower body.
   - _The dancer swiveled her hip to the rhythm of the drums._
   - _Years of running left a dull ache in his right hip._
4. The fleshy, berry-like fruit that develops on a rose once its flowers have been pollinated.
   - Simple: The small red fruit that grows on a rose plant after the flowers fade.
   - _A ripe hip turns deep orange-red and softens after the first frost._
   - _Foragers gather the tart hips to brew into syrup and tea._
5. The sloping external angle where two adjacent pitched roof surfaces meet along their outer edge.
   - Simple: The slanted outer edge where two sloping sides of a roof meet.
   - _The roofers sealed the hip before the first winter storm._
   - _Each hip slopes from the ridge down to a corner of the building._
10. The joint in a bridge truss where the sloping end post meets the top chord.
   - Simple: The point on a bridge frame where a slanted end beam meets the top beam.
   - _Inspectors found stress fractures at the hip of the span._
   - _The load concentrates at the hip, where the end post angles up to the top chord._

## Adjective

2. Aware of and following the latest trends, fashions, or ideas. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Knowing about the newest and coolest styles, music, or ideas.
   - _The new café draws a hip crowd of artists and designers._
   - _He prides himself on staying hip to the city's music scene._

## Interjection

3. A call used to prompt a group to cheer together, as in "hip hip hooray."
   - Simple: A shout used to start a group cheer, as in "hip hip hooray."
   - _The team captain led three rounds of "Hip, hip, hooray!" after the win._
   - _The children cried "hip hip hooray" when the birthday boy opened his gift._

## Verb

6. To give someone information about something, making them knowledgeable about or aware of it. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To tell someone about something so they know about it.
   - _Let me hip you to the rules before the game starts._
   - _She hipped the new recruits to how things really worked._
7. To bump or shove someone using one's hip.
   - Simple: To knock into someone using the side of your body near your waist.
   - _Skaters sometimes hip each other to break free along the boards._
   - _The defender hipped the forward off the puck._
8. To throw an opponent over one's hip, as in the wrestling move known as the cross-buttock.
   - Simple: To throw an opponent over your hip in wrestling.
   - _A good grappler can hip a larger foe using leverage rather than strength._
   - _With one smooth motion he hipped his challenger to the ground._
9. To build a roof so that its ends slope inward and meet the side planes along external angles.
   - Simple: To build a roof with sloping ends that meet the sides at slanted edges.
   - _The architect chose to hip the roof rather than add gable ends._
   - _They hipped the cottage roof to help it withstand strong winds._
11. To dislocate, sprain, or fracture the hip of a four-legged animal so severely that one side remains permanently sunken.
   - Simple: To injure an animal's hip so badly that one side stays sunken for good.
   - _A bad fall can hip a young colt for life._
   - _The ox had been hipped years earlier and walked with a lasting tilt._

## Noun

12. A drug addict, especially one dependent on a narcotic such as heroin. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A person who is addicted to drugs, especially heroin.
   - _The detective figured the burglar was a hip looking for quick cash._
   - _Back then the jazz clubs drew musicians, dreamers, and more than a few hips._

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 5, 7–12** — From Middle English hipe, from Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic *hupiz (compare Dutch heup and German Hüfte), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *ḱew- meaning "to bend." The sense "drug addict" is said to come from addicts lying on their hips while using drugs such as opium.
**Meaning 4** — From Middle English hepe, from Old English hēope, from Proto-Germanic *heupǭ (compare Dutch joop and German Hiefe), from a Proto-Indo-European root *ḱewb- meaning "briar, thorn."
**Meanings 2, 6** — Of unknown or disputed origin, probably a variant of hep, both attested from the first decade of the 20th century. Some sources suggest a link to Wolof hepi ("to see") or hipi ("to open one's eyes"), and others to the noun (from opium smokers lying on a hip), but neither suggestion is widely accepted.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hip (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).