Hay

Pronunciation

• enPR: hā, IPA: /heɪ/
• Homophones: hey
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Middle English hey, from Old English hīġ, hīeġ, from Proto-Germanic *hawją (cf. West Frisian hea, Dutch hooi, German Heu), from *hawwaną ‘to hew, cut down’. More at hew.

Full definition of hay

Noun

1. (uncountable) Grass cut and dried for use as animal fodder.
• CamdenMake hay while the sun shines.
• C. L. FlintHay may be dried too much as well as too little.
2. (countable) Any mix of green leafy plants used for fodder.
3. (slang) Cannabis; marijuana.
• 1947, William Burroughs, letter, 19 Feb 1947:I would like some of that hay. Enclose $20.
4. A net set around the haunt of an animal, especially a rabbit.
5. (obsolete) A hedge.
6. (obsolete) A circular country dance.to dance the hay

Derived terms

Verb

1. To cut grasses or herb plants for use as animal fodder.
2. To lay snares for rabbits.

Related terms

• bale
• straw

Pronunciation

From the sound it represents, by analogy with other letters such as kay and gay. The expected form in English if the h had survived in the Latin name of the letter "h", hā.

Noun

1. The name of the letter for the h sound in Pitman shorthand.

Related terms

• aitch, the name of the Latin letter for this sound

Anagrams

• AYH
• yah
• YHA