Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HAIR'-SALT, n. [haar-salz, Werner.]

A mixture of the sulphates of magnesia and iron; its taste resembles that of alum. Cleaveland.

HAIR'-SPLIT-TING, a.

Making very minute distinctions in reasoning. Robinson.

HAIR'-SPLIT-TING, n.

The act or practice of making minute distinctions in reasoning.

HAIR'WORM, n.

A genus of worms (vermes,) called Gordius; a filiform animal found in fresh water or in the earth There are several species. Encyc.

HAIR'Y, a. [from hair.]

1. Overgrown with hair; covered with hair; abounding with hair. Esau, my brother, is a hairy man. Gen. xxvii.
2. Consisting of hair; as, hairy honors. Dryden.
3. Resembling hair; of the nature of hair.

HAKE, n.

A kind of fish, the Gadus merluccius; called by some authors Lucius marinus. It was formerly salted and dried. Encyc.

HAK'OT, n.

A fish. Ainsworth.

HAL, n. [in some names signifies hall.]

HAL'BERD, n. [Fr. hallebarde; G. hellebarde; D. hellebaard; It. alabarda or labardo; Sp. Port. alabarda; Russ. berdish, a halberd or battle-ax, a pole-ax. The etymology is not settled. It seems anciently to have been a battle-ax fixed to a long pole, and in Gothic hilde is battle.]

A military weapon, consisting of a pole or shaft of wood, with a head armed with a steel point, with a cross piece of steel, flat and pointed at both ends, or with a cutting edge at one end, and a bent point at the other. It is carried by sergeants of foot and dragoons. Encyc.

HAL-BERD-IER', n.

One who is armed with a halberd. Bacon.

HAL'BERD-SHAP-ED, a.

Having the shape of a halberd.

HAL'CYON, a.

Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy. Halcyon days were seven days before and as many after the winter solstice, when the weather was calm. Hence by halcyon days are now understood days of peace and tranquillity.

HAL'CYON, n. [hal'shon; L. halcyon, Gr. άλκυων, a king-fisher, from αλς, the sea, and κυω, to conceive, from breeding among reeds by the sea. Morin.]

The name anciently given to the king-fisher, otherwise called alcedo; a bird that was said to lay her eggs in nests, on rocks near the sea, during the calm weather about the winter solstice. Hence,

HAL-CY-O'NI-AN, a.

Halcyon; calm. – Sheldon.

HALE, a. [Sax. hal, sound, whole. See Hail and Heal.]

Sound; entire; healthy; robust; not impaired; as, a hale body.

HALE, n.

Welfare. [Not in use.] – Spenser.

HALE, v.t. [Sw. hala; Fr. haler.]

To pull or draw with force; to drag. This is now more generally written and pronounced haul, which see. It is always to be pronounced haul.

HA-LE-LU'IAH, n. [Heb. הללו יה, praise ye Jah or Jehovah, from הלל, to praise, that is, to throw, or raise the voice, to utter a loud sound. Ar. هَلَّ halla or ealla, to appear; to begin to shine, as the new moon; to exclaim; to exult; to sing; to rejoice; to praise or worship God. Gr. ελελευ, a shout in battle. It coincides in elements with howl, L. ululo.]

Praise ye Jehovah; give praise to God; a word used in songs of praise, or a term of rejoicing in solemn ascriptions of thanksgiving to God. It is used is a noun, or as an exclamation. [This word is improperly written with j, in conformity with the German and other continental languages, in which j has the sound of y. But to pronounce the word with the English sound of j destroys its beauty. The like mistake of the sound of j Jehovah, Jordan, Joseph, has perverted the true pronunciation, which was Yehovah, Yordan, Yoseph. This perversion must now be submitted to, but in Halleluiah it ought not to be tolerated.]

HALF, adv.

In part, or in an equal part or degree. Half loth, and half consenting. – Dryden. In composition, half denotes an equal part; or indefinitely, a part, and hence, imperfect.

HALF, n. [h'af; plur. halves, pron. h'avz. Sax. half or healf; Goth. halbs; D. half; Sw. half; Dan. halv; G. halb.]

One equal part of a thing which is divided into two parts, either in fact or in contemplation; a moiety; as, half a pound; half a tract of land; half an orange; half the miseries or pleasures of life. It is applied to quantity, number, length, and every thing susceptible of division. In practice, of is often or usually omitted after half. We say, half a pound; half a mile; half the number. Half the misery of life. – Addison.

HALF, v.t.

To divide into halves. [See Halve.]

HALF'-BLOOD, n.

Relation between persons born of the same father or of the same mother, but not of both; as, a brother or sister of the half blood. The word is sometimes used as an adjective.

HALF'-BLOOD-ED, a.

1. Mean; degenerate. [Little used.] – Shak.
2. Proceeding from a male and female, each of full blood, but of different breeds; as, a half-blooded sheep.

HALF'-BRED, a.

Mixed; mongrel; mean.

HALF'-CAP, n.

A cap not wholly put on. – Shak.