Word: hair Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English her, heer, hær, from Old English hǣr, from Proto-West Germanic *hār, from Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”), from Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to scrape, comb”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hier, Híer (“hair”), West Frisian hier (“hair”), Cimbrian haar, har (“hair”), Dutch haar (“hair”), German and Low German Haar (“hair”), Luxembourgish Hoer (“hair”), Mòcheno hor (“hair”), Yiddish האָר (hor, “hair”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish hår (“hair”), Faroese and Icelandic hár (“hair”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English cheveler, chevelere (“hair”), borrowed from Old French chevelëure (“hair, head-hair, coiffure, wig”). The modern spelling with ai is not a regular representation of the vowel developed from Middle English. Rather, it is from Middle English here (haircloth) influenced by Old French haire. Pronunciation: /ˈhɛə/, [ˈhɛə̯], [ˈhɛː], /ˈhɛː/, /ˈheː/ 1. A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from a follicle on the skin of humans and other mammals. Labels: countable, singular, usually Example: And draweth new delights with hoary hairs. Example: Threading its way out from among his grey hairs, and continuing right down one side of his tawny scorched face and neck, till it disappeared in his clothing, you saw a slender rod-like mark, lividly whitish. 2. The collection or mass of such growths growing from the skin of humans and animals, and forming a covering for any part or the whole body. Labels: singular, uncountable, usually 3. Specifically, the collection of hairs on the top and sides of the human head, growing from the scalp. Labels: singular, uncountable, usually Example: In the western world, women usually have long hair while men usually have short hair. Example: Her abundant hair, of a dark and glossy brown, was neatly plaited and coiled above an ivory column that rose straight from a pair of gently sloping shoulders, clearly outlined beneath the light muslin frock that covered them. 4. A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth. Labels: countable, singular, usually 5. A cellular outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated. Labels: countable, singular, usually Example: Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the yellow frog lily (Nuphar). 6. Any slender, flexible outgrowth, filament, or fiber growing or projecting from the surface of an object or organism. Labels: countable, singular, usually Example: (uncountable, by extension) The collection or mass of such outgrowths, filaments, or fibers growing or projecting from the surface of an object or organism. 7. A locking spring or other safety device in the lock of a rifle, etc., capable of being released by a slight pressure on a hair-trigger. Labels: countable, singular, usually 8. Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth. Labels: countable, singular, usually Example: Just a little louder please—turn that knob a hair to the right. Example: I won by a hair. 9. Complexity; difficulty; the quality of being hairy. Labels: singular, slang, uncountable, usually Example: January 2014, Barack Obama, quoted in "Going the Distance" by David Remnick, in The New Yorker Having said all that, those who argue that legalizing marijuana is a panacea and it solves all these social problems I think are probably overstating the case. There is a lot of hair on that policy.