Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HANG'MAN, n.

One who hangs another; a public executioner; also, a term of reproach.

HANG'NAIL, n.

A corruption of the word Agnail; the same as Agnail.

HANG'NEST, n.

The name of certain species of birds, which build nests suspended from the branches of trees, such as the Baltimore oriole or red-bird; also, the nest so suspended.

HANK, n. [Dan. hank, a handle, a hook, a tack, a clasp; Sw. hank, a band.]

1. A skain of thread; as much thread as is tied together; a tie.
2. In ships, a wooden ring fixed to a stay, to confine the stay-sails; used in the place of a grommet. Mar. Dict.
3. A rope or withy for fastening a gate. [Local.]

HANK, v.t.

To form into hanks.

HANK'ER, v.i. [D. hunkeren. The corresponding word in Danish is higer, and probably n is casual.]

1. To long for with a keen appetite and uneasiness; in a literal sense; as, to hanker for fruit, or after fruit.
2. To have a vehement desire of something, accompanied with uneasiness; as, to hanker after the diversions of the town. Addison. It is usually followed by after. It is a familiar, but not a low word.

HANK'ER-ING, n.

A keen appetite that causes uneasiness till it is gratified; vehement desire to possess or enjoy.

HANK'ER-ING, ppr.

Longing for with keen appetite or ardent desire.

HANK'ER-ING-LY, adv.

Longingly.

HANK'LE, v.t. [See Hank.]

To twist. [Not in use.]

HAN-SE-AT'IC, a.

Pertaining to the Hanse Towns, or to their confederacy.

HANSE-TOWNS, n. [Hanse towns.]

Hanse signifies a society; Goth. hansa, a multitude. The Hanse Towns in Germany were certain commercial cities which associated for the protection of commerce as early as the twelfth century. To this confederacy acceded certain commercial cities in Holland, England, France, Spain and Italy, until they amounted to seventy-two, and for centuries this confederacy commanded the respect and defied the power of kings. This confederacy at present consists of the cities of Lubeck, Hamburg, and Bremen.

HANT, v.t. [HA'NT.]

A contraction of have not, or has not; as, I ha'nt, he ha'nt, we ha'nt.

HAP, n. [W. hap, or hab, luck, chance of fortune, that is, that which falls, or a coming suddenly. This seems to be allied to Fr. happer, to snap or catch; D. happen; Norm. happer, to seize; W. hafiaw, to snatch. In Sp. haber signifies to have, to happen or befall, to take. These verbs seem to unite in one radix, and all coincide with L. capio. The primary sense is, to fall or to rush, hence, to rush on and seize.]

1. That which comes suddenly or unexpectedly; chance; fortune; accident; casual event. [See Chance and Casual.] Whether art it was or heedless hap. Spenser. Curs'd be good haps, and curs'd be they that build / Their hopes on haps. Sidney.
2. Misfortune. [But this word is obsolete or obsolescent, except in compounds and derivatives.]

HAP, v.i.

To happen; to befall; to come by chance. [Obs.] Spenser. Bacon.

HAP-HAZ'ARD, n. [This is tautological. See Hazard.]

Chance; accident. We take our principles at haphazard on trust. Locke.

HAP'LESS, a.

Luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappy; as, hapless youth; hapless maid. Dryden.

HAP'LY, adv.

1. By chance; perhaps; it may be. Lest haply ye be found to fight against God. Acts v.
2. By accident; casually. Milton.

HAP'PEN, v.i. [hap'n; W. hapiaw, to happen, to have luck. See Hap. Sw. häpna, to be surprised or amazed.]

1. To come by chance; to come without one's previous expectation; to fall out. There shall no evil happen to the just. Prov. xii.
2. To come; to befall. They talked together of all those things which had happened. Luke xxiv.
3. To light; to fall or come unexpectedly. I have happened on some other accounts relating to mortalities. Graunt.

HAP'PEN-ING, ppr.

Coming or falling; befalling.

HAP'PI-LY, adv. [See Happy.]

1. By good fortune; fortunately; lucky; with success. Preferr'd by conquest, happily o'erthrown. Waller.
2. In a happy state; in a state a felicity. He lived happily with his consort.
3. With address or dexterity; gracefully; in a manner to ensure success. Formed by thy converse, happily to steer / From grave to gay, from lively to severe. Pope.
4. By chance. [See Haply.]

HAP'PI-NESS, n. [from happy.]

1. The agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; felicity; but happiness usually expresses less than felicity, and felicity less than bliss. Happiness is comparative. For a person distressed with pain, relief from that pain affords happiness; in other cases we give the name happiness to positive pleasure or an excitement of agreeable sensations. Happiness therefore admits of indefinite degrees of increase in enjoyment, or gratification of desires. Perfect happiness, or pleasure unalloyed with pain, is not attainable in this life.
2. Good luck; good fortune. Johnson.
3. Fortuitous elegance; unstudied grace. For there's a happiness as well as care. Pope.

HAP'PY, a. [from hap; W. hapus, properly lucky, fortunate, receiving good from something that falls or comes to one unexpectedly, or by an event that is not within control. See Hour.]

1. Lucky; fortunate; successful. Chimists have been more happy in finding experiments, than the causes of them. Boyle. So we say, a happy thought; a happy expedient.
2. Being in the enjoyment of agreeable sensations from the possession of good; enjoying pleasure from the gratification of appetites or desires. The pleasurable sensations derived from the gratification of sensual appetites render a person temporarily happy; but he only can be esteemed really and permanently happy, who enjoys peace of mind in the favor of God. To be in any degree happy, we must be free from pain both of body and of mind; to be very happy, we must be in the enjoyment of lively sensations of pleasure, either of body or mind. Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed. Gen. xxx. He found himself happiest, In communicating happiness to others. Wirt.
3. Prosperous; having secure possession of good. Happy is that people whose God is Jehovah. Ps. cxliv.
4. That supplies pleasure; that furnishes enjoyment; agreeable; applied to things; as, a happy condition.
5. Dextrous; ready; able. One gentleman is happy at a reply, another excels in a rejoinder. Swift.
6. Blessed; enjoying the presence and favor of God, in a future life.
7. Harmonious; living in concord; enjoying the pleasures of friendship; as, a happy family.
8. Propitious; favorable. Shak.

HAP'PY-MAK-ING, a.

Making happy. Milton.

HAR, or HARE, n. [or HERE, in composition, signify an army. Sax. here, G. heer, D. heir. So Harold is a general of an army; Herwin, a victorious army. So in Greek, Stratocles, from στρατος, and Polemarchus, from πολεμος.]