Hame Hame noun [ Scot. haims , hammys , hems , Middle English ham ; confer Dutch haam .] One of the two curved pieces of wood or metal, in the harness of a draught horse, to which the traces are fastened. They are fitted upon the collar, or have pads fitting the horse's neck attached to them.

Hamel Ham"el (hăm"ĕl) transitive verb [ Obsolete] Same as Hamble .

Hamesecken Hame"seck`en (hām"sĕk`'n), Hame"suck`en (-sŭk`'n) noun [ Anglo-Saxon hāmsōcn . See Home , and Seek .] (Scots Law) The felonious seeking and invasion of a person in his dwelling house. Bouvier.

Hamfatter Ham"fat`ter noun [ From a negro minstrel song called "The ham-fat man."] A low-grade actor or performer. [ Theatrical Slang]

Hamiform Ha"mi·form (hā"mĭ*fôrm) adjective [ Latin hamus hook + -form .] Hook-shaped.

Hamilton period Ham"il·ton pe"ri·od (hăm"ĭl*tŭn pē"rĭ*ŭd). (Geol.) A subdivision of the Devonian system of America; -- so named from Hamilton , Madison Co., New York. It includes the Marcellus, Hamilton, and Genesee epochs or groups. See the Chart of Geology .

Haminura Ham`i·nu"ra (hăm`ĭ*nū"rȧ) noun (Zoology) A large edible river fish ( Erythrinus macrodon ) of Guiana.

Hamite Ha"mite (hā"mīt) noun [ Latin hamus hook.] (Paleon.) A fossil cephalopod of the genus Hamites , related to the ammonites, but having the last whorl bent into a hooklike form.

Hamite Ham"ite (hăm"īt) noun A descendant of Ham, Noah's second son. See Gen. x. 6- 20.

Hamitic Ham·it"ic (hăm*ĭt"ĭk) adjective Pertaining to Ham or his descendants. Hamitic languages , the group of languages spoken mainly in the Sahara, Egypt, Galla, and Somâli Land, and supposed to be allied to the Semitic. Keith Johnston.

Hamlet Ham"let (hăm"lĕt) noun [ Middle English hamelet , Old French hamelet , dim. of hamel , French hameau , Late Latin hamellum , a dim. of German origin; confer German heim home. √220. See Home .] A small village; a little cluster of houses in the country.

The country wasted, and the hamlets burned.

Dryden. Syn. -- Village; neighborhood. See Village .

Hamleted Ham"let·ed p. adjective Confined to a hamlet. Feltham.

Hammer Ham"mer (-mẽr) noun [ Middle English hamer , Anglo-Saxon hamer , hamor ; akin to Dutch hamer , G. & Danish hammer , Swedish hammare , Icelandic hamarr , hammer, crag, and perhaps to Greek 'a`kmwn anvil, Sanskrit açman stone.] 1. An instrument for driving nails, beating metals, and the like, consisting of a head, usually of steel or iron, fixed crosswise to a handle.

With busy hammers closing rivets up.

Shak. 2. Something which in form or action resembles the common hammer ; as: (a) That part of a clock which strikes upon the bell to indicate the hour. (b) The padded mallet of a piano, which strikes the wires, to produce the tones. (c) (Anat.) The malleus. See under Ear . (d) (Gun.) That part of a gunlock which strikes the percussion cap, or firing pin; the cock; formerly, however, a piece of steel covering the pan of a flintlock musket and struck by the flint of the cock to ignite the priming. (e) Also, a person or thing that smites or shatters; as, St. Augustine was the hammer of heresies.

He met the stern legionaries [ of Rome] who had been the "massive iron hammers " of the whole earth.

J. H. Newman. Atmospheric hammer , a dead-stroke hammer in which the spring is formed by confined air. -- Drop hammer , Face hammer , etc. See under Drop , Face , etc. -- Hammer fish . See Hammerhead . -- Hammer hardening , the process of hardening metal by hammering it when cold. -- Hammer shell (Zoology) , any species of Malleus , a genus of marine bivalve shells, allied to the pearl oysters, having the wings narrow and elongated, so as to give them a hammer-shaped outline; -- called also hammer oyster . -- To bring to the hammer , to put up at auction.

Hammer Ham"mer transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Hammered (-mẽrd); present participle & verbal noun Hammering .] 1. To beat with a hammer; to beat with heavy blows; as, to hammer iron. 2. To form or forge with a hammer; to shape by beating. " Hammered money." Dryden. 3. To form in the mind; to shape by hard intellectual labor; -- usually with out .

Who was hammering out a penny dialogue.

Jeffry.

Hammer Ham"mer intransitive verb 1. To be busy forming anything; to labor hard as if shaping something with a hammer.

Whereon this month I have been hammering .

Shak. 2. To strike repeated blows, literally or figuratively.

Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.

Shak.

Hammer Ham"mer noun (Athletics) A spherical weight attached to a flexible handle and hurled from a mark or ring. The weight of head and handle is usually not less than 16 pounds.

Hammer break Ham"mer break (Electricity) An interrupter in which contact is broken by the movement of an automatically vibrating hammer between a contact piece and an electromagnet, or of a rapidly moving piece mechanically driven.

Hammer lock Hammer lock (Wrestling) A hold in which an arm of one contestant is held twisted and bent behind his back by his opponent.

Hammer-beam Ham"mer-beam` (-bēm`) noun (Gothic Arch.) A member of one description of roof truss, called hammer-beam truss , which is so framed as not to have a tiebeam at the top of the wall. Each principal has two hammer-beams, which occupy the situation, and to some extent serve the purpose, of a tiebeam.

Hammer-dressed Ham"mer-dressed` (-drĕst`) adjective Having the surface roughly shaped or faced with the stonecutter's hammer; -- said of building stone.

Hammer-harden Ham"mer-hard`en (-härd`'n) transitive verb To harden, as a metal, by hammering it in the cold state.

Hammer-less Ham"mer-less adjective (Firearms) Without a visible hammer; -- said of a gun having a cock or striker concealed from sight, and out of the way of an accidental touch.

Hammerable Ham"mer·a·ble (-ȧ*b'l) adjective Capable of being formed or shaped by a hammer. Sherwood.

Hammercloth Ham"mer·cloth` (-klŏth; 115) noun [ Prob. from Dutch hemel heaven, canopy, tester (akin to German himmel , and perhaps also to English heaven ) + English cloth ; or perhaps a corruption of hamper cloth .] The cloth which covers a coach box.

Hammerer Ham"mer·er (-ẽr) noun One who works with a hammer.

Hammerhead Ham"mer·head` (-hĕd`) noun 1. (Zoology) A shark of the genus Sphyrna or Zygæna , having the eyes set on projections from the sides of the head, which gives it a hammer shape. The Sphyrna zygæna is found in the North Atlantic. Called also hammer fish , and balance fish . 2. (Zoology) A fresh-water fish; the stone-roller. 3. (Zoology) An African fruit bat ( Hypsignathus monstrosus ); -- so called from its large blunt nozzle.

Hammerkop Ham"mer·kop (hăm"mẽr*kŏp) noun (Zoology) A bird of the Heron family; the umber.

Hammerman Ham"mer·man (-m a n) noun ; plural Hammermen (-m e n). A hammerer; a forgeman.

Hammochrysos Ham`mo·chry"sos (hăm`mo*krī"sŏs) noun [ Latin , from Greek "ammo`chrysos ; "a`mmos , 'a`mmos , sand + chryso`s gold.] A stone with spangles of gold color in it.

Hammock Ham"mock (hăm"mŏk) noun [ A word of Indian origin: confer Spanish hamaca . Columbus, in the Narrative of his first voyage, says: "A great many Indians in canoes came to the ship to-day for the purpose of bartering their cotton, and hamacas , or nets, in which they sleep."] 1. A swinging couch or bed, usually made of netting or canvas about six feet long and three feet wide, suspended by clews or cords at the ends. 2. A piece of land thickly wooded, and usually covered with bushes and vines. Used also adjectively; as, hammock land. [ Southern U. S.] Bartlett. Hammock nettings (Nautical) , formerly, nets for stowing hammocks; now, more often, wooden boxes or a trough on the rail, used for that purpose.

Hamose Ha·mose" (ha*mōs"), Ha"mous (hā"mŭs), }[ Latin hamus hook.] (Botany) Having the end hooked or curved.

Hamper Ham"per (hăm"pẽr) noun [ Contr. from hanaper .] A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles; as, a hamper of wine; a clothes hamper ; an oyster hamper , which contains two bushels.

Hamper Ham"per transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Hampered (-pẽrd); present participle & verbal noun Hampering .] To put in a hamper.

Hamper Ham"per transitive verb [ Middle English hamperen , hampren , probably of the same origin as English hamble .] To put a hamper or fetter on; to shackle; to insnare; to inveigle; to entangle; hence, to impede in motion or progress; to embarrass; to encumber. " Hampered nerves." Blackmore.

A lion hampered in a net.

L'Estrange.

They hamper and entangle our souls.

Tillotson.

Hamper Ham"per noun [ See Hamper to shackle.] 1. A shackle; a fetter; anything which impedes. W. Browne. 2. (Nautical) Articles ordinarily indispensable, but in the way at certain times. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Top hamper (Nautical) , unnecessary spars and rigging kept aloft.

Hamshackle Ham"shac`kle (hăm"shăk`'l) transitive verb [ Ham + shackle .] To fasten (an animal) by a rope binding the head to one of the fore legs; as, to hamshackle a horse or cow; hence, to bind or restrain; to curb.

Hamster Ham"ster (-stẽr) noun [ German hamster .] (Zoology) A small European rodent ( Cricetus frumentarius ). It is remarkable for having a pouch on each side of the jaw, under the skin, and for its migrations.

Hamstring Ham"string` (hăm"strĭng`) noun (Anat.) One of the great tendons situated in each side of the ham, or space back of the knee, and connected with the muscles of the back of the thigh.

Hamstring Ham"string` transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Hamstrung ; present participle & verbal noun Hamstringing . See String .] To lame or disable by cutting the tendons of the ham or knee; to hough; hence, to cripple; to incapacitate; to disable.

So have they hamstrung the valor of the subject by seeking to effeminate us all at home.

Milton.

Hamular Ham"u·lar (hăm"u*lẽr) adjective Hooked; hooklike; hamate; as, the hamular process of the sphenoid bone.

Hamulate Ham"u·late (-lat) adjective Furnished with a small hook; hook-shaped. Gray.

Hamule Ham"ule (-ūl) noun [ Latin hamulus .] A little hook.

Hamulose Ham"u·lose` (-u*lōs`) adjective [ Latin hamulus , dim. of hamus a hook.] Bearing a small hook at the end. Gray.

Hamulus Ham"u·lus (-lŭs) noun ; plural Hamuli (-lī). [ Latin , a little hook.] 1. (Anat.) A hook, or hooklike process. 2. (Zoology) A hooked barbicel of a feather.

Han Han (hăn), contr. inf. & plural present of Haven . To have; have. [ Obsolete] Piers Plowman.

Him thanken all, and thus they han an end.

Chaucer.

Han't Han't (hānt; in England , hänt). A contraction of have not , or has not , used in illiterate speech. In the United States the commoner spelling is hain't .

Hanap Han"ap (-ăp) noun [ French hanap . See Hanaper .] A rich goblet, esp. one used on state occasions. [ Obsolete]

Hanaper Han"a·per (-ȧ*pẽr) noun [ Late Latin hanaperium a large vase, from hanapus vase, bowl, cup (whence French hanap ); of German origin; confer Old High German hnapf , German napf , akin to Anglo-Saxon hnæp cup, bowl. Confer Hamper , Nappy , noun ] A kind of basket, usually of wickerwork, and adapted for the packing and carrying of articles; a hamper. Hanaper office , an office of the English court of chancery in which writs relating to the business of the public, and the returns to them, were anciently kept in a hanaper or hamper. Blackstone.

Hance Hance (hȧns) transitive verb [ See Enhance .] To raise; to elevate. [ Obsolete] Lydgate.

Hance Hance (hăns), Hanch (hănch) noun [ See Hanse .] 1. (Architecture) See Hanse . 2. (Nautical) A sudden fall or break, as the fall of the fife rail down to the gangway.