Main Entry:

¹high

Pronunciation:

\ˈhī\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English hēah; akin to Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaukaras hill

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: having large extension upward : taller than average, usual, or expected <a high wall> b: having a specified elevation : tall <six feet high> —often used in combinations <sky-high><waist-high> c: situated or passing above the normal level, surface, base of measurement, or elevation <the high desert>2 a (1): advanced toward the acme or culmination <high summer> (2): advanced toward the most active or culminating period <on the Riviera during high season> (3): constituting the late, most fully developed, or most creative stage or period <high Gothic> (4): advanced in complexity, development, or elaboration <the higher primates including humans> <higher mathematics> b: verging on lateness —usually used in the phrase high time c: long past : remote <high antiquity>3: elevated in pitch <a high note>4: relatively far from the equator <high latitude>5: rich in quality : luxurious <high living>6: slightly tainted <high game> ; also : malodorous <smelled rather high>7: exalted in character : noble <high purposes>8: of greater degree, amount, cost, value, or content than average, usual, or expected <high prices>9: of relatively great importance: as a: foremost in rank, dignity, or standing <high officials> b: serious, grave <high crimes> c: observed with the utmost solemnity <high religious observances> d: critical, climactic <the high point of the novel> e: intellectually or artistically of the first order <high culture> f: marked by sublime, heroic, or stirring events or subject matter <high tragedy> <high adventure> 10: forcible, strong <high winds>11: stressing matters of doctrine and ceremony ; specifically : high church12 a: filled with or expressing great joy or excitement <high spirits> b: intoxicated ; also : excited or stupefied by or as if by a drug13: articulated with some part of the tongue close to the palate <a high vowel>

— high on

: enthusiastically in approval or support of

synonyms high, tall, lofty mean above the average in height. high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level <a high hill> <a high ceiling>. tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness <a tall thin man>. lofty suggests great or imposing altitude <lofty mountain peaks>.