hide

English Online Dictionary. What means hide‎? What does hide mean?

English

Alternative forms

• hyde (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• enPR: hīd, IPA^(key): /haɪd/
• Rhymes: -aɪd

Etymology 1

From Middle English hiden, huden, from Old English hȳdan (“to hide, conceal, preserve”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūdijan (“to conceal”), from Proto-Germanic *hūdijaną (“to conceal”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewdʰ- (“to cover, wrap, encase”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover”).

The verb was originally weak. In the King James Version of the Bible (1611), both hid and hidden are used for the past participle.

Verb

hide (third-person singular simple present hides, present participle hiding, simple past hid, past participle hidden or (archaic) hid)

1. (transitive) To put (something) in a place where it will be harder to discover or out of sight.

   Synonyms: conceal, hide away, secrete, veil

   Antonyms: disclose, expose, reveal, show, uncover, visiblize, visualize

   • 1856, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter XI, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling

     The blind man, whom he had not been able to cure with the pomade, had gone back to the hill of Bois-Guillaume, where he told the travellers of the vain attempt of the druggist, to such an extent, that Homais when he went to town hid himself behind the curtains of the "Hirondelle" to avoid meeting him.

2. (intransitive) To put oneself in a place where one will be harder to find or out of sight.

   Synonyms: go undercover, hide away, hide out, lie low, hole up

   Antonyms: reveal, show

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Old English hȳd, of Germanic origin, from Proto-West Germanic *hūdi, from Proto-Germanic *hūdiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kéw(H)tis (“skin, hide”) (compare Latin cutis (“skin, rind, hide”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kew(H)- (“to cover”), ultimately the same root as the above etymology. More at sky.

Noun

hide (plural hides)

2. (countable) The skin of an animal.

   Synonyms: pelt, skin

3. (obsolete or derogatory) The human skin.
5. (metonymically, uncountable, informal, usually US) One's own life or personal safety, especially when in peril.

   Coordinate term: ass (see ass § Usage notes)

   • 1957, Ayn Rand, Francisco d'Anconia's speech in Atlas Shrugged:

     The rotter who simpers that he sees no difference between the power of money and the power of the whip, ought to learn the difference on his own hide—as I think he will.

6. (countable) (mainly British) A covered structure from which hunters, birdwatchers, etc can observe animals without scaring them.
7. (countable, architecture) A secret room for hiding oneself or valuables; a hideaway.
8. (countable) A covered structure to which a pet animal can retreat, as is recommended for snakes.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

hide (third-person singular simple present hides, present participle hiding, simple past and past participle hided)

1. To beat with a whip made from hide.

Etymology 3

From Middle English hide, from Old English hīd, hȳd, hīġed, hīġid (“a measure of land”), for earlier *hīwid (“the amount of land needed to support one family”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *hīwaz, *hīwō (“relative, fellow-lodger, family”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“to lie with, store, be familiar”). Related to Old English hīwisc (“hide of land, household”), Old English hīwan (“members of a family, household”). More at hewe, hind.

Noun

hide (plural hides)

2. (historical) A unit of land and tax assessment of varying size, originally as intended to support one household with dependents. [from 9th c.]

   Synonym: carucate

Usage notes

The hide was originally intended to represent the amount of land farmed by a single household but was primarily connected to obligations owed (in England) to the Saxon and Norman kings, and thus varied greatly from place to place. Around the time of the Domesday Book under the Normans, the hide was usually but not always the land expected to produce £1 (1 Tower pound of sterling silver) in income over the year.

Hypernyms

• (100 hides) barony

Hyponyms

• (¹⁄₄ hide) See virgate
• (¹⁄₈ hide) See oxgang
• (¹⁄₁₆ hide) nook
• farundel

Translations

Anagrams

• Heid, Ihde, hied

Albanian

Alternative forms

• ide

Etymology

From Turkish iğde (“oleaster”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhidɛ/

Noun

hide f (plural hide, definite hidja, definite plural hidet)

1. (botany) jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

References

Middle English

Etymology 1

from Old English hīd, hȳd, hīġed, hīġid (“a measure of land”), from earlier *hīwid (“the amount of land needed to support one family”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *hīwaz, *hīwō (“relative, fellow-lodger, family”), related to *hīwô (“household”).

Noun

hide (plural hides or hiden or hide)

1. hide (unit of land)

Alternative forms

• hyde

Descendants

• English: hide
• Scots: hyd, hid

References

• “hīde, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From hiden (“to hide”).

Noun

hide

1. concealment
2. hiding spot

Alternative forms

• hid, hyd, hyde

Descendants

• English: hide
• Scots: hide

References

• “hīd(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

Noun

hide (plural hides or hiden)

1. Alternative form of hyde (“skin”)

Etymology 4

Noun

hide

1. Alternative form of hythe (“landing place, port”)

Etymology 5

Noun

hide (plural hides)

1. Alternative form of heed (“head”)

Etymology 6

Verb

hide (third-person singular simple present hideth, present participle hidende, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle hidde)

1. Alternative form of hiden (“to hide”)