hair

hair

noun, often attributive \ˈher\

Definition of HAIR

1

a : a slender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal; especially : one of the usually pigmented filaments that form the characteristic coat of a mammal

b : the hairy covering of an animal or a body part; especially : the coating of hairs on a human head

2

: haircloth

3

a : a minute distance or amount <won by a hair>

b : a precise degree <aligned to a hair>

4

obsolete : nature, character

5

: a filamentous structure that resembles hair <leaf hair>

— hair·less adjective

— hair·less·ness noun

— hair·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— in one's hair

: persistently and annoyingly in one's presence <can't work with you in my hair all day>

— out of one's hair

: out of one's way : not in one's hair <keep the children out of his hair for a while>

Examples of HAIR

1. He plucked a hair from his arm.
2. There are dog hairs all over my coat.
3. The hair on her arms is blond.
4. He has a lot of hair on his chest.
5. He got his hair cut last week.
6. He has a thick head of hair.
7. a balding man who is losing his hair
8. He won the race by a hair.
9. He was a hair off on the count.

Illustration of HAIR

Origin of HAIR

Middle English, from Old English hǣr; akin to Old High German hār hair

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to HAIR

Synonyms

ace, hairbreadth (or hairsbreadth), hairline, hop, skip, and jump, inch, neck, shouting distance, step, stone's throw

Antonyms

country mile, long haul, mile

Related Words

bit, crumb, dab, iota, jot, minim, mite, particle, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), trace, trifle

Near Antonyms

infinity, light-year

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

Rhymes with HAIR

air, Ayr, bare, bear, Blair, blare, care, chair, chare, dare, Dare, e'er, ere, err, eyre, fair, fare, flair, flare, glair, glare, hare, Herr, heir, lair, mare, ne'er, pair, pare, pear, prayer, rare, rear, scare, share, snare, spare, square, stair, stare, swear, tare, tear, their, there, vair, ware, wear, weir, where, yare

hair

noun , often attrib \ˈha(ə)r, ˈhe(ə)r\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of HAIR

1

: a slender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal; especially : one of the usually pigmented filaments that form the characteristic coat of a mammal

2

: the hairy covering of an animal or a body part; especially : the coating of hairs on a human head

—hair·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

Illustration of HAIR

hair

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Threadlike outgrowths of the skin. Babies shed a layer of downy, slender hairs (lanugo) before or just after birth. The fine, short, unpigmented hairs (vellus) then grow. Starting at puberty, terminal hair, longer, coarser, and more pigmented, develops in the armpits, crotch, sometimes on parts of the trunk and limbs, and, in males, on the face. Scalp hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes are different types. The number of scalp hairs, which grow about 0.5 in. (13 mm) per month, averages 100,000–150,000. The hair shaft (above the skin) is dead tissue, composed of keratin. Only a few growing cells at the base of the root are alive. Hair is formed by cell division at the base of the follicle (a tiny pocket in the skin), part of a cycle of growing, resting, and falling out. Vellus lasts about four months, scalp hairs three to five years.