Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HOV'ER, v.i. [W. hoviaw, to hang over, to fluctuate, to hover.]

1. To flap the wings, as a fowl; to hang over or about, fluttering or flapping the wings, with short irregular flights. Great flights of birds are hovering about the bridge, and settling on it. Addison.
2. To hang over or around, with irregular motions. A hovering mist came swimming o'er his sight. Dryden.
3. To stand in suspense or expectation. Spenser.
4. To wander about from place to place in the neighborhood; to move back and forth; as, an army hovering on our borders; a ship hovering on our coast. Cranch's Rep.

HOV'ER-GROUND, n.

Light ground. Ray.

HOV'ER-ING, ppr.

Flapping the wings; hanging over or around; moving with short irregular flights.

HOV'ER-ING-LY, adv.

In a hovering manner.

HOW, adv. [Sax. hu; D. hoe.]

1. In what manner. I know not how to answer. How can a man be born when he is old? How can these things be? John iii.
2. To what degree or extent. How long shall we suffer these indignities? How much better is wisdom than gold! O how love I thy law! How sweet are thy words to my taste. Ps. cxix.
3. For what reason; from what cause. How now, my love, why is your cheek so pale? Shak.
4. By what means. How can this effect be produced?
5. In what state. How, and with what reproach shall I return! Dryden.
6. It is used in a sense marking proportion; as, how much less; how much more. Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants – how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay? Job iv. By how much they would diminish the present extent of the sea, so much they would impair the fertility and fountains and rivers of the earth. Bentley.
7. It is much used in exclamation. How are the mighty fallen! 2 Sam. i.
8. In some popular phrases, how is superfluous or inelegant. Thick clouds put us in some hope of land; knowing how that part of the South Sea was utterly unknown. Bacon.

HOW-BE'IT, adv. [how, be, and it.]

Be it as it may; nevertheless; notwithstanding; yet; but; however.

HOW'DY, n.

A midwife. [Local.] Grose.

HOW-D'YE, adv.

how do you? how is your health?

HOW-EV'ER, adv. [how and ever.]

1. In whatever manner or degree; as, however good or bad the style may be.
2. At all events; at least. Our chief end is to be freed from all, if it may be, however from the greatest evils. Tillotson.
3. Nevertheless; notwithstanding; yet. I shall not oppose your design; I cannot however approve of it. You might howe'er have took a fairer way. Dryden.

HOW'ITZ, or HOW'ITZ-ER, n. [Sp. hobus; G. haubitze.]

A kind of mortar or short gun, mounted on a field carriage, and used for throwing shells. The difference between a mortar and a howitz is, that the trunnions of a mortar are at the end, but those of a howitz are at the middle. Encyc.

HOW'KER, n.

A Dutch vessel with two masts, a main and a mizzen-mast; also, a fishing-boat with one mast, used on the coast of Ireland. Mar. Dict.

HOWL, n.

1. The cry of a dog or wolf, or other like sound.
2. The cry of a human being in horror or anguish.

HOWL, v.i. [D. huilen; G. heulen; Sw. yla; Dan. hyler; Sp. aullar; L. ululo; Gr. υλαω; Corn. hoalea. Qu. W. wylaw; Arm. guela or iala; Ir. guilim; It. guaiolare. The latter coincide with wail and yell.]

1. To cry as a dog or wolf; to utter a particular kind of loud, protracted and mournful sound. We say, the dog howls; the wolf howls. Hence,
2. To utter a loud, mournful sound, expressive of distress; to wail. Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand. Is. xiii. Ye rich men, weep and howl. James v.
3. To roar; as a tempest.

HOWL, v.t.

To utter or speak with outcry. Go – howl it out in deserts. Philips.

HOWL'ED, pp.

Uttered with outcry, as a dog or wolf.

HOWL'ET, n. [Fr. hulotte; from owl.]

A fowl of the owl kind, which utters a mournful cry. It is as large as a pullet. Dict. Nat. Hist.

HOWL'ING, a.

Filled with howls, or howling beasts; dreary. Innumerable artifices and stratagems are acted in the howling wilderness and in the great deep, that can never come to our knowledge. Addison.

HOWL'ING, n.

The act of howling; a loud outcry or mournful sound.

HOWL'ING, ppr.

Uttering the cry of a dog or wolf; uttering a loud cry of distress.

HOW-SO-EV'ER, adv. [how, so, and ever.]

1. In what manner soever. Ralegh.
2. Although. Shak. [For this word, however is generally used.]

HOX, v.t.

To hough; to hamstring. [Not used. See Hough.] Shak.

HOY, exclam. [Of no definite meaning.]

HOY, n.

A small vessel, usually rigged as a sloop, and employed in conveying passengers and goods from place to place on the sea coast, or in transporting goods to and from a ship in a road or bay. Encyc. Mar. Dict.

HUB, n. [See HOB.]

HUB'BUB, n.

A great noise of many confused voices; a tumult; uproar; riot. Spenser. Clarendon.