Hoary

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /hɔː.ɹi/
• US IPA: /hɔɹ.i/
• Rhymes: -ɔːri

Origin

hoar + -y.

Full definition of hoary

Adjective

1. White or gray with age.The old man bowed his hoary head in acquiescence.
• 1787, John Rippon, "How Firm a Foundation":And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
2. (zoology) Of a pale silvery gray.
3. (botany) Covered with short, dense, grayish white hairs; canescent.
4. (obsolete) Remote in time past.
5. (obsolete) Moldy; mossy; musty.
6. Old or old-fashioned.
• 2012, June 3, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Mr. Plow” (season 4, episode 9; originally aired 11/19/1992), In its God-like prime, The Simpsons attacked well-worn satirical fodder from unexpected angles, finding fresh laughs in the hoariest of subjects.

Related terms

• hoar

Derived terms

• hoarily
• hoariness