Lexicon: housewife – hum

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housewife (-'s, housewives), n. [see house, n., wife, n.; contracted as hŭswife, which pejorated to 'hussy'.]

  1. Married woman who directs the affairs of home and family.
  2. [Fig.] personification of nature that performing household tasks.

hover (-ed, -ing, -s), v. [origin unknown.] (webplay: back).

Hang over; flit around; move back and forth with irregular motions.

how, adv. [OE hú.] (webplay: better, cause, cheek, clouds, degree, effect, fallen, gold, house, know, less, love, more, old, pale, man, manner, means, mighty, more, sea, servant, state, suffer, return, rivers).

  1. [Interrogative; question marker]; in what way; in what manner; by what means.
  2. [Introducing an infinitive]; by certain means; in a particular manner.
  3. [Introducing a relative clause]; to what extent.
  4. [Qualifying adj. or adv.]; to what extent; in what degree.
  5. [Exclamation; intensifier]; so; very; to such a degree!
  6. [Qualifying verb]; in what way; in what manner; by what authority?
  7. [Ellipsis.]
  8. Phrase. “How many”: what quantity of?
  9. Phrase. “How much”: what great amount; what generous quantity.
  10. Phrase. “How are you”: in what condition; how do you feel?
  11. Phrase. “How doth the busy bee”: [see bee; quoted from a 1715 Isaac Watts poem.]

however, adv. [see how, adv. + ever, adv.] (webplay: good, way).

  1. [Qualifying verb]; in whatever manner; by whatever means.
  2. [Qualifying adj. or adv.]; although; to whatever extent; notwithstanding that.
  3. [Qualifying clause]; but; nevertheless; notwithstanding.
  4. [Formulaic utterance modification; closure]; though.

hubbub, n. [Gaelic ub! ub! ubub! interj. of aversion or contempt; abu! war-cry.]

Riot; tumult; uproar; great noise.

hue (-s), n. [OE híew < West Germanic 'form, show, appearance'.] (webplay: color, shouting).

Tint; color; shade; [word play] yell; outcry.

hueless, adj. [see hue, n.]

Colorless; without tint.

hug, v. [origin unknown.]

Embrace; hold fast; press close; [fig.] treat with fondness.

huge (hugest), adj. [OFr ahuge < unknown origin.] (webplay: large, size).

Great; enormous; very big.

hum, n. [see hum, v.] (webplay: bees, men, sing).

Buzz; low singing.