Emily Dickinson Lexicon

hinder (-ed, -ing, -s), v. [OE hindrian.] (webplay: moving; poor; slow).

1. Bar; shroud; obstruct.
2. Hurt; harm; impair.
3. Slow; delay; retard; check in progression.

hindered, verbal adj. [see hinder, v.] (webplay: slow).

Reined in and then released; held back and then let go; [fig.] previously cloudy, nebulous, or misty but now suddenly clear, bright, and sparkling.

hindrance, n. [see hinder, v.]

Wait; deferment; probation; postponement.

hinge, n. [Du. henghe, hinge, handle of a pot, hook.] (webplay: door, east).

1. Pivot; movable joint; mechanism which allows something to be opened or closed.
2. Axis; [fig.] compass direction; cardinal point of north, south, east, or west.

hint (-s), n. [OE hentan, lay hold of, seize, grasp.]

Suggestion; insinuation; slight mention; word which reminds.

hint (-ed, -s), v. [see hint, n.]

Allude; suggest; remind by a slight mention; refer to by remote allusion.

hip, n. [OE hype < Germanic.]

Haunch; skin that covers the joint and flesh of the thigh.

hire, v. [OE hýrian.]

Contract with for compensation; give a reward to for a service.

his, adj. [OE hys, possessive form of he and it; third-person singular masculine possessive adjective, acting as a determiner for a noun; see also he, him, himself, and his, pron.] (webplay: awe, belongs, book, fear, ground, him, John, son's).

1. [Refers to a male animal] its.
2. [Refers to an insect] its.
3. [Refers to a bird] its.
4. [Refers to an unnamed male antecedent] that man's.
5. [Refers to death personified, a tomb or grave, etc.] its.
6. [Refers to a heavenly body, such as the moon, sun, stars, etc.] its.
7. [Refers to God or other Deities; often capitalized.]
8. [Refers to Jesus Christ; often capitalized.]
9. [Refers to a component of nature such as weather elements] its.
10. [Refers to a dimension of time] its.
11. [Refers to a mutual relationship between two dual aspects of Deity] their.
12. [Refers to one's soul, self, being, person] its.

his, pron. [OE hys, possessive form of he and it; third-person singular masculine possessive pronoun; see also he, him, himself, and his, adj.; sometimes capitalized for Deity.]

1. [Refers to Deity; co-referential God = he = his.]
2. [Refers to a beloved male person not specified by name in the text.]
3. [Refers to a male person previously mentioned in the text; co-referential: Minister = His = He.]
4. [Refers to a personified animate creature mentioned previously in the text, such spider, bird, etc.; Spider = Himself = His = He] its.
5. [Refers to an inanimate natural phenomena or entity; Sun = Himself = Him = His] its.
6. [Refers to an abstract concept or event; Death = His] its.