haze

Meanings

1. Very fine solid particles (smoke, dust) or liquid droplets (moisture) suspended in the air, slightly limiting visibility. (Compare fog, mist.)
2. A reduction of transparency of a clear gas or liquid.
3. An analogous dullness on a surface that is ideally highly reflective or transparent.
4. Any state suggestive of haze in the atmosphere, such as mental confusion or vagueness of memory.
5. The degree of cloudiness or turbidity in a clear glass or plastic, measured in percent.
6. Any substance causing turbidity in beer or wine.

1. To be or become hazy, or thick with haze.

1. To perform an unpleasant initiation ritual upon a usually non-consenting individual, especially freshmen to a closed community such as a college fraternity or military unit.
2. To oppress or harass by forcing to do hard and unnecessary work.
3. In a rodeo, to assist the bulldogger by keeping (the steer) running in a straight line.
4. To use aversive stimuli on (a wild animal, such as a bear) to encourage it to keep its distance from humans.

1. A diminutive of the female given name Hazel.

Etymology

* The earliest instances are of the latter part of the 17th century. * Possibly back-formation from hazy. * Compare Old Norse höss (“grey”), akin to Old English hasu (“gray”).