handicraft
handicraft: n. work that requires both manual and artistic skill. [ME, alt. of earlier HANDCRAFT after HANDIWORK]

handbag
handbag: n. & v. --n. a small bag for a purse etc., carried esp. by a woman. --v.tr. (of a woman politician) treat (a person, idea, etc.) ruthlessly or insensitively.

harmonious
harmonious: adj.
1 sweet-sounding, tuneful.
2 forming a pleasing or consistent whole; concordant.
3 free from disagreement or dissent. øøharmoniously adv. harmoniousness n.

hunting
hunting: n. the practice of pursuing and killing wild animals, esp. for sport. øhunting-crop see CROP n. 3. hunting-groun.
1 a place suitable for hunting.
2 a source of information or object of exploitation likely to be fruitful. hunting horn a straight horn used in hunting. hunting-pink see PINK(1) ). [OE huntung (as HUNT)]

hymenalhormone
hormone: n.
1 Biochem. a regulatory substance produced in an organism and transported in tissue fluids such as blood or sap to stimulate cells or tissues into action.
2 a synthetic substance with a similar effect. øøhormonal adj. [Gk hormon part. of hormao impel]

humidity
humidity: n. (pl. -ies.
1 a humid state.
2 moisture.
3 the degree of moisture esp. in the atmosphere. ørelative humidity the proportion of moisture to the value for saturation at the same temperature. [ME f. OF humidit÷ or L humiditas (as HUMID)]

habiliment
habiliment: n. (usu. in pl..
1 clothes suited to a particular purpose.
2 joc. ordinary clothes. [ME f. OF habillement f. habiller fit out f. habile ABLE]

household
household: n.
1 the occupants of a house regarded as a unit.
2 a house and its affairs.
3 (prec. by the) (in the UK) the royal household. øhousehold god.
1 gods presiding over a household, esp. the lares and penates.
2 the essentials of home life. household troops (in the UK) troops nominally employed to guard the sovereign. household word (or name.
1 a familiar name or saying.
2 a familiar person or thing.

hailstone
hailstone: n. a pellet of hail.

holding
holding: n.
1 a land held by lease (cf. SMALLHOLDING). b the tenure of land.
2 stocks, property, etc. held. øholding company a company created to hold the shares of other companies, which it then controls. holding operation a manoeuvre designed to maintain the status quo.

hanging
hanging: n. & adj. --n.
1 a the practice or an act of executing by hanging a person. b (attrib.) meriting or causing this (a hanging offence).
2 (usu. in pl.) draperies hung on a wall etc. --adj. that hangs or is hung; suspended. øhanging gardens gardens laid out on a steep slope. hanging valley a valley, usu. tributary, above the level of the valleys or plains it joins.

handedhome
home: n., adj., adv., & v. --n.
1 a the place where one lives; the fixed residence of a family or household. b a dwelling-house.
2 the members of a family collectively; one's family background (comes from a good home).
3 the native land of a person or of a person's ancestors.
4 an institution for persons needing care, rest, or refuge (nursing home).
5 the place where a thing originates or is native or most common.
6 a the finishing-point in a race. b (in games) the place where one is free from attack; the goal. c Lacrosse a player in an attacking position near the opponents' goal.
7 Sport a home match or win. --attrib.adj.
1 a of or connected with one's home. b carried on, done, or made, at home. c proceeding from home.
2 a carried on or produced in one's own country (home industries; the home market). b dealing with the domestic affairs of a country.
3 Sport played on one's own ground etc. (home match; home win).
4 in the neighbourhood of home. --adv.
1 a to one's home or country (go home). b arrived at home (is he home yet?). c US at home (stay home).
2 a to the point aimed at (the thrust went home). b as far as possible (drove the nail home; pressed his advantage home). --v.
1 intr. (esp. of a trained pigeon) return home (cf. HOMING 1).
2 intr. (often foll. by on, in on) (of a vessel, missile, etc.) be guided towards a destination or target by a landmark, radio beam, etc.
3 tr. send or guide homewards.
4 tr. provide with a home. øat hom.
1 in one's own house or native land.
2 at ease as if in one's own home (make yourself at home).
3 (usu. foll. by in, on, with) familiar or well informed.
4 available to callers. at-home n. a social reception in a person's home. come home to become fully realized by. come home to roost see ROOST(1) ). home and dry having achieved one's purpose. home away from home = home from home. home-bird a person who likes to stay at home. home-brew beer or other alcoholic drink brewed at home. home-brewed (of beer etc.) brewed at home. home-coming arrival at home. Home Counties the counties closest to London. home economics the study of household management. home farm Brit. a farm (one of several on an estate) set aside to provide produce for the owner. home-felt felt intimately. home from home a place other than one's home where one feels at home; a place providing homelike amenities. home-grown grown or produced at home. Home Guard hist.
1 the British citizen army organized in 1940 to defend the UK against invasion, and disbanded in 1957.
2 a member of this. home help Brit. a woman employed to help in a person's home, esp. one provided by a local authority. home, James! joc. drive home quickly! home-made made at home. home-making creation of a (pleasant) home. home movie a film made at home or of one's own activities. Home Offic.
1 the British government department dealing with law and order, immigration, etc., in England and Wales.
2 the building used for this. home of lost causes Oxford University. home-owner a person who owns his or her own home. home perm a permanent wave made with domestic equipment. home plate Baseball a plate beside which the batter stands. home port the port from which a ship originates. home rule the government of a country or region by its own citizens. home run Baseball a hit that allows the batter to make a complete circuit of the bases. Home Secretary (in the UK) the Secretary of State in charge of the Home Office. home signal a signal indicating whether a train may proceed into a station or to the next section of the line. home straight (US stretch) the concluding stretch of a racecourse. home town the town of one's birth or early life or present fixed residence. home trade trade carried on within a country. home truth basic but unwelcome information concerning oneself. home unit Austral. a private residence, usu. occupied by the owner, as one of several in a building. near home affecting one closely. øøhomelike adj. [OE ham f. Gmc]

hacksaw
hacksaw: n. a saw with a narrow blade set in a frame, for cutting metal.

habit
habit: n. & v. --n.
1 a settled or regular tendency or practice (often foll. by of + verbal noun: has a habit of ignoring me).
2 a practice that is hard to give up.
3 a mental constitution or attitude.
4 Psychol. an automatic reaction to a specific situation.
5 colloq. an addictive practice, esp. of taking drugs.
6 a the dress of a particular class, esp. of a religious order. b (in full riding-habit) a woman's riding-dress. c archaic dress, attire.
7 a bodily constitution.
8 Biol. & Crystallog. a mode of growth. --v.tr. (usu. as habited adj.) clothe. øhabit-forming causing addiction. make a habit of do regularly. [ME f. OF abit f. L habitus f. habere habit- have, be constituted]

herald
herald: n. & v. --n.
1 an official messenger bringing news.
2 a forerunner (spring is the herald of summer).
3 a hist. an officer responsible for State ceremonial and etiquette. b Brit. an official of the Heralds' College. --v.tr. proclaim the approach of; usher in (the storm heralded trouble). øHeralds' College Brit. colloq. = College of Arms. [ME f. OF herau(l)t, herauder f. Gmc]

heating
heating: n.
1 the imparting or generation of heat.
2 equipment or devices used to provide heat, esp. to a building.

heald
heald: n. = HEDDLE. [app. f. OE hefel, hefeld, f. Gmc]

handsome
handsome: adj. (handsomer, handsomest.
1 (of a person) good-looking.
2 (of a building etc.) imposing, attractive.
3 a generous, liberal (a handsome present; handsome treatment). b (of a price, fortune, etc., as assets gained) considerable. øøhandsomeness n. [ME, = easily handled, f. HAND + -SOME(1)]

herbicide
herbicide: n. a substance toxic to plants and used to destroy unwanted vegetation.

hart
hart: n. the male of the deer (esp. the red deer) usu. over five years old. øhart's tongue a fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium, with narrow undivided fronds. [OE heor(o)t f. Gmc]

halitosis
halitosis: n. = bad breath. [mod.L f. L halitus breath]

herself
herself: pron.
1 a emphat. form of SHE or HER (she herself will do it). b refl. form of HER (she has hurt herself).
2 in her normal state of body or mind (does not feel quite herself today). øbe herself act in her normal unconstrained manner. by herself see by+oneself . [OE hire self (as HER, SELF)]

humorous
humorous: adj.
1 showing humour or a sense of humour.
2 facetious, comic. øøhumorously adv. humorousness n.

haemoglobin
haemoglobin: n. (US hemoglobin) a red oxygen-carrying substance containing iron, present in the red blood-cells of vertebrates. [shortened f. haematoglobin, compound of HAEMATIN + GLOBULIN]

halfwit
halfwit: n.
1 colloq. an extremely foolish or stupid person.
2 a person who is mentally deficient. øøhalfwitted adj. halfwittedly adv. halfwittedness n.

half
half: n., adj., & adv. --n. (pl. halves.
1 either of two equal or corresponding parts or groups into which a thing is or might be divided.
2 colloq. = half-back.
3 colloq. half a pint, esp. of beer etc.
4 either of two equal periods of play in sports.
5 colloq. a half-price fare or ticket, esp. for a child.
6 Golf a score that is the same as one's opponent's. --adj.
1 of an amount or quantity equal to a half, or loosely to a part thought of as roughly a half (take half the men; spent half the time reading; half a pint; a half-pint; half-price).
2 forming a half (a half share). --adv.
1 (often in comb.) to the extent of half; partly (only half cooked; half-frozen; half-laughing).
2 to a certain extent; somewhat (esp. in idiomatic phrases: half dead; am half inclined to agree).
3 (in reckoning time) by the amount of half (an hour etc.) (half past two). øat half cock see COCK(1) ). by half (prec. by too + adj.) excessively (too clever by half). by halves imperfectly or incompletely (never does things by halves). half-and-half being half one thing and half another. half-back (in some sports) a player between the forwards and full backs. half-bake.
1 incompletely considered or planned.
2 (of enthusiasm etc.) only partly committed.
3 foolish. half the battle see BATTLE . half-beak any fish of the family Hemirhamphidae with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. half-binding a type of bookbinding in which the spine and corners are bound in one material (usu. leather) and the sides in another. half-bloo.
1 a person having one parent in common with another.
2 this relationship.
3 = half-breed. half-blooded born from parents of different races. half-blue Brit.
1 a person who has represented a university, esp. Oxford or Cambridge, in a sport but who has not received a full blue.
2 this distinction (see BLUE(1) ) n. 3). half board provision of bed, breakfast, and one main meal at a hotel etc. half-boot a boot reaching up to the calf. half-breed often offens. a person of mixed race. half-brother a brother with only one parent in common. half-caste often offens. n. a person whose parents are of different races, esp. the offspring of a European father and an Indian mother. --adj. of or relating to such a person. half a chance colloq. the slightest opportunity (esp. given half a chance). half-crown (or half a crown) (in the UK) a former coin and monetary unit worth 2s. 6d. (12Ìp). half-cut Brit. sl. fairly drunk. half-deck the quarters of cadets and apprentices on a merchant vessel. half-dozen (or half a dozen) colloq. six, or about six. half-duplex see DUPLEX . half an eye the slightest degree of perceptiveness. half-hardy (of a plant) able to grow in the open air at all times except in severe frost. half hitch a noose or knot formed by passing the end of a rope round its standing part and then through the loop. half holiday a day of which half (usu. the afternoon) is taken as a holiday. half-hou.
1 (also half an hour) a period of 30 minutes.
2 a point of time 30 minutes after any hour o'clock. half-hourly at intervals of 30 minutes. half-hunter a watch with a hinged cover in which a small opening allows identification of the approximate position of the hands. half-inch n. a unit of length half as large as an inch. --v.tr. rhymingsl. steal (= pinch). half-integral equal to half an odd integer. half-landing a landing part of the way up a flight of stairs, whose length is twice the width of the flight plus the width of the well. half-lap the joining of rails, shafts, etc., by halving the thickness of each at one end and fitting them together. half-length a canvas depicting a half-length portrait. half-life Physics & Biochem. etc. the time taken for the radioactivity or some other property of a substance to fall to half its original value. half-light a dim imperfect light. half-mast the position of a flag halfway down the mast, as a mark of respect for a person who has died. half measures an unsatisfactory compromise or inadequate policy. half a mind see MIND . half moo.
1 the moon when only half its illuminated surface is visible from earth.
2 the time when this occurs.
3 a semicircular object. half nelson Wrestling see NELSON . half-note esp. US Mus. = MINIM 1. the half of it colloq. the rest or more important part of something (usu. after neg.: you don't know the half of it). half pay reduced income, esp. on retirement. half-pie NZ sl. imperfect, mediocre. half-plat.
1 a photographic plate 16.5 by 10.8 cm.
2 a photograph reproduced from this. half-seas-over Brit. sl. partly drunk. half-sister a sister with only one parent in common. half-sole the sole of a boot or shoe from the shank to the toe. half-sovereign a former British gold coin and monetary unit worth ten shillings (50p). half-step Mus. a semitone. half-term Brit. a period about halfway through a school term, when a short holiday is usually taken. half-timbered Archit. having walls with a timber frame and a brick or plaster filling. half-tim.
1 the time at which half of a game or contest is completed.
2 a short interval occurring at this time. half the time see TIME . half-titl.
1 the title or short title of a book, printed on the recto of the leaf preceding the title-page.
2 the title of a section of a book printed on the recto of the leaf preceding it. half-ton.
1 a reproduction printed from a block (produced by photographic means) in which the various tones of grey are produced from small and large black dots.
2 US Mus. a semitone. half-trac.
1 a propulsion system for land vehicles with wheels at the front and an endless driven belt at the back.
2 a vehicle equipped with this. half-truth a statement that (esp. deliberately) conveys only part of the truth. half-volley (pl. -eys) (in ball games) the playing of a ball as soon as it bounces off the ground. half-yearly at intervals of six months. not hal.
1 not nearly (not half long enough).
2 colloq. not at all (not half bad).
3 Brit. sl. to an extreme degree (he didn't half get angry). [OE half, healf f. Gmc, orig. = 'side']

hidden
hidden: past part. of HIDE(1). øøhiddenness n.

haven
haven: n.
1 a harbour or port.
2 a place of refuge. [OE hófen f. ON hæfn]

hypnosis
hypnosis: n.
1 a state like sleep in which the subject acts only on external suggestion.
2 artificially produced sleep. [mod.L f. Gk hupnos sleep + -OSIS]

hill
hill: n. & v. --n.
1 a a naturally raised area of land, not as high as a mountain. b (as the hills) Anglo-Ind. = hill-station.
2 (often in comb.) a heap; a mound (anthill; dunghill).
3 a sloping piece of road. --v.tr.
1 form into a hill.
2 (usu. foll. by up) bank up (plants) with soil. øhill and dale (of a gramophone record) with groove-undulations in a vertical plane. hill-billy (pl. -ies) U.
1 colloq., often derog. a person from a remote rural area in a southern State (cf. HICK).
2 folk music of or like that of the southern US. hill climb a race for vehicles up a steep hill. hill-fort a fort built on a hill. hill-station Anglo-Ind. a government settlement, esp. for holidays etc. during the hot season, in the low mountains of N. India. old as the hills very ancient. over the hill colloq.
1 past the prime of life; declining.
2 past the crisis. up hill and down dale see UP . [OE hyll]