hair
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.the mass of thin strands growing on your head.
n.the collective growth of pigmented keratinous filaments on the human scalp. Uncountable in this general sense.
Simple“She decided to cut her hair short for the summer.”
In context“The stylist recommended a specific treatment to restore shine to her hair after years of chemical dyeing.”
PitfallShe has long hairs. She has long hair.When talking about all the hair on someone's head, use the uncountable form 'hair' without an 's'.
SynonymslockstressesAntonymsbaldness - 02 A2 Elementary
n.one single thin strand that grows from the skin.
n.an individual filament of keratin. Countable when referring to distinct strands.
Simple“I found a long black hair on my white sweater.”
In context“The forensic team recovered a single hair from the upholstery, which provided enough DNA for a definitive identification.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.the coat of an animal, like a dog or a cat.
n.the collective integumentary covering of a non-human mammal.
Simple“The dog leaves white hair all over the sofa.”
In context“Certain breeds of cattle have developed a thick, oily hair to protect them from the harsh mountain climate.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.thin, thread-like parts on a plant or an insect.
n.a slender outgrowth from the epidermis of a plant or the cuticle of an invertebrate.
Simple“The leaves of the plant are covered in tiny silver hairs.”
In context“Under the microscope, the stinging hairs of the nettle appear as hollow silica tubes designed to inject irritants into the skin.”
Synonymsfilamenttrichome - 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to take the hair off a skin or hide.
v.to strip or remove the hair from a hide or skin during processing. Transitive use.
Simple“The leather worker had to hair the hide before tanning it.”
In context“Traditional methods to hair the skins involved soaking them in a lime solution to loosen the follicles.”
Synonymsstripdepilate
From Middle English her, heer, hær, from Old English hǣr, from Proto-West Germanic hār, from Proto-Germanic hērą (“hair”), from Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to scrape, comb”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hier, Híer (“hair”), West Frisian hier (“hair”), Cimbrian haar, har (“hair”), Dutch haar (“hair”), German and Low German Haar (“hair”), Luxembourgish Hoer (“hair”), Mòcheno hor (“hair”), Yiddish האָר (hor, “hair”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish hår (“hair”), Faroese and Icelandic hár (“hair”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English cheveler, chevelere (“hair”), borrowed from Old French chevelëure (“hair, head-hair, coiffure, wig”). The modern spelling with ai is not a regular representation of the vowel developed from Middle English. Rather, it is from Middle English here (haircloth) influenced by Old French haire.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.