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hair

Syllabification: (hair)
Pronunciation: /he(ə)r/
Translate hair | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of hair

noun

  • 1any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and some other animals.
  • a fine threadlike strand growing from the epidermis of a plant, or forming part of a living cell.
  • (a hair) a very small quantity or extent:his magic takes him a hair above the competition
  • 2hairs collectively, especially those growing on a person’s head:a woman with shoulder-length fair hair [as modifier]:a hair salon

Phrases

hair of the dog

informal an alcoholic drink taken to cure a hangover.
[from hair of the dog that bit you, formerly recommended as an efficacious remedy for the bite of a mad dog]

a hair's breadth

a very small amount or margin:you escaped death by a hair’s breadth

in (or out of) someone's hair

informal annoying (or ceasing to annoy) someone:I’m glad he’s out of my hair

let one's hair down

informal behave in an uninhibited or relaxed manner:let your hair down and just have some fun

make someone's hair stand on end

alarm or horrify someone.

not a hair out of place

(of a person) extremely neat and tidy in appearance.

not turn a hair

remain apparently unmoved or unaffected:the old woman didn’t turn a hair; she just sat quietly rocking

put hair on one's chest

informal (of an alcoholic drink) be very strong.

split hairs

make small and overfine distinctions.

Derivatives

haired

adjective
[in combination]:a curly-haired boy

hairlike

adjective

Origin:

Old English hǣr, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch haar and German Haar

hair in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hair in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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