Word: hole Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *hulaz Proto-Germanic *hulą Proto-West Germanic *hol Old English hol Middle English hole English hole Inherited from Middle English hole, hol, from Old English hol (“orifice, hollow place, cavity”), from Proto-West Germanic *hol (“hole”), from Proto-Germanic *hulą (“hollow space, cavity”), noun derivative of Proto-Germanic *hulaz (“hollow”), which is of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to hollow. Cognate with Dutch, Faroese, and Icelandic hol (“hole”), Danish hul (“hole”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Norn hola (“hole”), Norwegian Bokmål hol (“depression, hole, cavern”), Swedish hål (“hole”), French houle (“swell of water”). Compare unrelated Finnish kolo (“hole”). Pronunciation: /həʊl/, [hɔʊɫ], /hɒl/, /hɐʉl/, /hoʊl/ 1. A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; a dent; a depression; a fissure. Example: I made a blind hole in the wall for a peg. I dug a hole and planted a tree in it. Example: To be called into a huge sphere, and not to be seen to move in't, are the holes where eyes should be, which pitifully disaster the cheeks. 2. An opening that goes all the way through a solid body, a fabric, etc.; a perforation; a rent. Example: There’s a hole in my shoe. Her stocking has a hole in it. Example: The priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid. 3. In games. 4. In games. Example: I played 18 holes yesterday. The second hole today cost me three strokes over par. 5. In games. Example: The shortstop ranged deep into the hole to make the stop. 6. In games. 7. In games. 8. In games. 9. An excavation pit or trench. Labels: slang 10. A weakness; a flaw or ambiguity. Labels: figuratively Example: I have found a hole in your argument. Example: But between the drinks and subtle things / The holes in my apologies, you know / I’m trying hard to take it back 11. In semiconductors, a lack of an electron in an occupied band behaving like a positively charged particle. 12. A security vulnerability in software which can be taken advantage of by an exploit. 13. Any bodily orifice. Labels: derogatory, slang, vulgar Example: Just shut your hole! 14. Any bodily orifice. Labels: slang, vulgar 15. Any bodily orifice. Labels: slang, vulgar 16. A woman. Labels: derogatory 17. Solitary confinement, a high-security prison cell often used as punishment. Labels: informal, with-definite-article Example: In late December a Washington State prisoner was involved in a scuffle with a guard who was trying to take him into the hole. Example: Disciplinary actions can range from a mere write up to serious time in the hole. 18. An undesirable place to live or visit. Labels: slang Example: His apartment is a hole! Example: I have often heard people say, "One can't live upon a view," and I have heard some of the most beautiful places called "awful holes," simply because of the monotonous lives led in them. 19. Difficulty, in particular, debt. Labels: figuratively Example: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Example: "Don't you see the hole it has put me into? […] Of course it was too late to have any alteration printed on the first night and now Miss Roscastle is the draw of the piece. 20. A chordless cycle in a graph. 21. A passing loop; a siding provided for trains traveling in opposite directions on a single-track line to pass each other. Labels: slang Example: We’re supposed to take the hole at Cronk and wait for the Limited to pass. 22. A mountain valley. Labels: Canada, US, historical Example: Jackson Hole