English Explanatory Dictionary

hay

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Grass cut and dried for use as animal fodder.
  2. Any mix of green leafy plants used for fodder.
  3. Cannabis; marijuana.
  4. A net set around the haunt of an animal, especially a rabbit.
verb
  1. To cut grasses or herb plants for use as animal fodder.
  2. To lay snares for rabbits.
noun
  1. A hedge.
  2. A net placed around the lair or burrow of an animal.
  3. An enclosure, haw.
  4. A circular country dance.
noun
  1. The letter for the h sound in Pitman shorthand.
name
  1. A surname.
  2. A place name:
  3. A town and local government area (Hay Shire) in the Riverina area of New South Wales, Australia, named after John Hay.
  4. A township in Gladwin County, Michigan, United States.
  5. An unincorporated community in Whitman County, Washington, United States.
  6. Ellipsis of Hay-on-Wye: a small town in Hay community, Powys, Wales, on the England-Wales border.
  7. A community (civil parish) for Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, served by Hay-on-Wye Town Council.
  8. A hamlet in St Breock parish, Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SW9770).

Pronunciation

hā /heɪ/ en-us-hay.ogg

Word forms

hay hays haying hayed

Etymology

From Middle English hey, from Old English hīeġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hawi, from Proto-Germanic *hawją, from *hawwaną (“to hew, cut down”). Cognate with West Frisian hea (“hay”), Alemannic German Heuw (“hay”), Cimbrian höobe (“hay”), Dutch hooi (“hay”), German Heu (“hay”), Luxembourgish Hee (“hay”), Mòcheno hei (“hay”), Yiddish היי (hey, “hay”), Danish hø (“hay”), Faroese hoyggj (“hay”), Gutnish hoy (“hay”), Icelandic hey (“hay”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk høy (“hay”), Swedish hö (“hay”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍅𐌹 (hawi, “grass, hay”). More at hew.

Related words

bale straw aitch the Latin letter for this sound hay ko yeet hay Combe Hay Hay-on-Wye Parsley Hay

Derived words

deer-hay hay-asthma haybag hay bag haybale hayband haybarn hay bed haybird haybote hay-bote haybox haycap haycart haycation haycock hay-cock hay devil hayer hayey hay fever hay-fever hayfever hayfield Hayford hayfork hayhead hay is for horses hay knife haylage hayland hayless haylift haylike hay loft hayloft haymaker haymaking Haymarket haymonger hay moon haymow haymower haynet hay net hayrack hayrake hayrick hayricker hayride hay ride hay-scented fern hayseed haysel hayshed haystack haystalk hay tea haytime hay wagon
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