Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HULCH'IS, a.

Swelling; gibbous. [Not used.]

HULK, n. [D. hulk; Sax. hulc, a cottage or lodge, a vessel; Dan. holk, a hoy; Sw. hålk. Qu. Gr. ολας.]

1. The body of a ship, or decked vessel of any kind; but the word is applied only to the body of an old ship or vessel which is laid by as unfit for service. A sheer-hulk is an old ship fitted with an apparatus to fix or take out the masts of a ship. Encyc. Mar. Dict.
2. Any thing hulky or unwieldly. [Not used.] Shak. The hulks, in England, old or dismasted ships, formerly used as prisons.

HULK, v.t.

To take out the entrails; as, to hulk, a hare. [Little used.] Ainsworth.

HULK'Y, a.

Bulky; unwieldy. [Not used.]

HULL, n. [Sax. hul, the cover of a nut; G. hülse; D. hulse; W. hûl, a cover; huliaw, to cover, to deck, G. hüllen. See Hulk.]

1. The outer covering of any thing, particularly of a nut or of grain. Johnson says, the hull of a nut covers the shell.
2. The frame or body of a ship, exclusive of her masts, yards and rigging. Mar. Dict. To lie a hull, in seamen's language, is to lie as a ship without any sail upon her, and her helm lashed a-lee. Encyc. To strike a hull, in a storm, is to take in the sails, and lash the helm on the lee-side of a ship. Encyc.

HULL, v.i.

To float or drive on the water without sails. Milton.

HULL, v.t.

1. To strip off or separate the hull or hulls; as, to hull grain.
2. To pierce the hull of a ship with a cannon-ball.

HULL'ED, pp.

Stripped off, as the hulls of seed. Hulled corn or grain, corn or grain boiled in a weak lye, so that the hull or coat separates or is easily separated from the kernel.

HULL'ING, ppr.

Stripping off the hull.

HULL'Y, a.

Having husks or pods; siliquous.

HU'LO-IST, n.

One who believes matter to be a God.

HU'LO-THE-ISM, n. [Gr. ύλη, matter, and Θεος, God.]

The doctrine or belief that matter is God, or that there is no God, except matter and the universe.

HUL'VER, n.

Holly, a tree. [D. hulst.] Tusser.

HUM, exclam.

A sound with a pause, implying doubt and deliberation. Pope.

HUM, n.

1. The noise of bees or insects
2. A low confused noise, as of crowds; as, the busy hum of men. Milton.
3. Any low dull noise. Pope.
4. A low inarticulate sound, uttered by a speaker in a pause; as, hums and haws. Shak. Dryden.
5. An expression of applause. Spectator.

HUM, v.i. [G. hummen; D. hommelen.]

1. To utter the sound of bees; to buzz.
2. To make an inarticulate buzzing sound. The cloudy messenger turns me his back, / And hums. Shak.
3. To pause in speaking, and make an audible noise like the humming of bees. He hummed and hawed. Hudibras.
4. To make a dull, heavy noise like a drone. Still humming on their drowsy course they took. Pope.
5. To applaud. [Obs.]

HUM, v.t.

1. To sing in a low voice; as, to hum a tune.
2. To cause to hum; to impose on. [Vulgar.]

HU'MAN, a. [L. humanus; Fr. humain; Sp. humano; It. umano. I am not certain which are the radical letters of this word, but am inclined to believe them to be Mn; that the first syllable is a prefix; that homo in Latin is contracted, the n being dropped in the nominative, and restored in the oblique cases; hence homo, and the Gothic and Sax. guma, a man, may be the same word, but this is doubtful. If Mn are the elements, this word is from the root of man, or rather is formed on the Teutonic word. Heb. מין form, species. The corresponding word in G. is menschlich, (man-like,) D. menschelyk. See Man.]

1. Belonging to man or mankind; pertaining or relating to the race of man; as, a human voice; human shape; human nature; human knowledge; human life.
2. Having the qualities of a man. Swift.
3. Profane; not sacred or divine; as, a human author. [Not in use.] Brown.

HU'MAN-ATE, a.

Endued with humanity. [Obs.] Cranmer.

HU-MANE', a. [supra.]

1. Having the feelings and dispositions proper to man; having tenderness, compassion, and a disposition to treat others with kindness; particularly in relieving them when in distress, or in captivity, when they are helpless or defenseless; kind; benevolent.
2. Inclined to treat the lower orders of animals with tenderness.

HU-MANE'LY, adv.

1. With kindness, tenderness or compassion; as, the prisoners were treated humanely.
2. In a humane manner; with kind feelings.

HU-MANE'NESS, n.

Tenderness. Scott.

HU'MAN-IST, n.

1. A professor of grammar and rhetoric; a philologist; a term used in the universities of Scotland.
2. One versed in the knowledge of human nature. Shaftesbury.

HU-MAN-I-TA'RI-AN, n. [L. humanus, humanitas.]

One who denies the divinity of Christ, and believes him to be a mere man.

HU-MAN'I-TY, n. [L. humanitas; Fr. humanité.]

1. The peculiar nature of man, by which he is distinguished from other beings. Thus Christ, by his incarnation, was invested with humanity.
2. Mankind collectively; the human race. If he is able to untie those knots, he is able to teach all humanity. [Unusual.] Glanville. It is a debt we owe to humanity. S. S. Smith.
3. The kind feelings, dispositions and sympathies of man, by which he is distinguished from the lower orders of animals; kindness; benevolence; especially, a disposition to relieve persons in distress, and to treat with tenderness those who are helpless and defenseless; opposed to cruelty.
4. A disposition to treat the lower orders of animals with tenderness, or at least to give them no unnecessary pain.
5. The exercise of kindness; acts of tenderness.
6. Philology; grammatical studies. Johnson. Humanities, in the plural, signifies grammar, rhetoric and poetry; for teaching which there are professors in the universities of Scotland. Encyc.