A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

hatch (v2.) --- drawn fine parallel lines, 1389, from O.Fr. hacher "chop, hatch," from hache "axe" (see hatchet).

hatchet --- 1166, from O.Fr. hachette, dim. of hache "axe," possibly from Frank. *happja (cf. O.H.G. happa "sickle, scythe"), from P.Gmc. *khæbijo, from PIE base *(s)qep- "to cut" (cf. Gk. kopis "knife," Lith. kaplys "hatchet"). Phrase bury the hatchet (1794) is from Native American peacemaking custom. Hatchet-man was originally California slang for "hired Chinese assassin" (1880), later extended figuratively to journalists who attacked the reputation of a public figure (1944).

hate (v.) --- O.E. hatian "to hate," from P.Gmc. *khatojanan (cf. O.S. haton, O.N. hata, Ger. hassen, Goth. hatan "to hate"), from PIE base *kedes- "feel strongly" (cf. Avestan sadra- "grief, sorrow, calamity," Gk. kedos "care, trouble, sorrow," Welsh cas "pain, anger"). The noun is O.E. hete "hatred, spite," from P.Gmc. *khatis-, altered in M.E. to conform with the verb. Hate mail is first attested 1967.

Hathor --- goddess of love and joy in ancient Egypt, from Gk. Hathor, from Egyptian Het-Hert, lit. "the house above," or possibly Het-Heru "house of Horus."

hatred --- c.1175, from M.E. hate (see hate) + rare suffix -red, from O.E. ræden "state, condition," related to verb rædan "to advise, discuss, rule, read, guess." See read and cf. second element of kindred and proper names Æþelræd and Alfred.

hauberk --- 1297, from O.Fr. hauberc, earlier holberc, from Frank. *halsberg, lit. "neck-cover" (cf. O.H.G. halsberc), from hals "neck" + bergan "to cover, protect."

haughty --- 1530 (spelling changed on model of caught, etc.), from M.E. haute "high in one's own estimation" (1430), with adj. suffix, from O.Fr. haut "high," from L. altus, with initial h- by infl. of Frank. hoh.

haul --- 1581, variant spelling of M.E. halen (see hale (v.)), representing a 13c. change in pronunciation. The noun is from the sense of hauling with fishing nets.

haunch --- c.1225, from O.Fr. hanche, from Frank. *hanka (cf. O.H.G. hinkan "to limp," ancha "leg," lit. "joint;" M.Du. hanke "haunch"), from P.Gmc. *khink-.

haunt --- c.1230, from O.Fr. hanter "to frequent, resort to, be familiar with" (12c.), probably from O.N. heimta "bring home," from P.Gmc. *khaimat-janan, from *khaimaz- (see home). Use in ref. to a spirit returning to the house where it had lived perhaps was in P.Gmc., but it was reinforced by Shakespeare's plays, and it is first recorded 1590 in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The noun meaning "spirit that haunts a place, ghost" is first recorded 1843, originally in stereotypical U.S. black speech. Haunts (n.) "place or places one frequents" is c.1330, from the verb.

haut cuisine --- 1926, from Fr., lit. "high (-class) cooking."

hautboy --- 1575, from Fr. hautbois "high wood" (see oboe). "This Pageaunt waz clozd vp with a delectable harmony of Hautboiz, Shalmz, Coronets, and such oother looud muzik." [Robert Laneham, 1575]

hauteur --- 1628, from Fr., "haughtiness, arrogance," lit. "height," from O.Fr. hauteur (12c.), from haut, from L. altus (see haughty).

Havana --- cigar made in Havana, Cuba, 1802.

have --- O.E. habban "to own, possess," from P.Gmc. *khaf- (cf. O.N. hafa, O.S. hebbjan, O.Fris. habba, Ger. haben, Goth. haban "to have"), from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (see capable). Not related to L. habere, despite similarity in form and sense; the L. cognate is capere "seize." O.E. second pers. sing. pres. hæfst, third pers. sing. pres. hæfð became M.E. hast, hath, while O.E. -bb- became -v- in have. The p.p. had developed from O.E. gehæfd. Sense of "possess, have at one's disposal" (I have a book) is a shift from older languages, where the thing possessed was made the subject and the possessor took the dative case (e.g. L. est mihi liber "I have a book," lit. "there is to me a book"). Used as an auxiliary in O.E., too (esp. to form present perfect tense); the word has taken on more functions over time; Mod.Eng. he had better would have been O.E. him (dat.) wære betere. To have to for "must" (1579) is from sense of "possess as a duty or thing to be done" (O.E.). Have-not "poor person" first recorded 1836. Phrase have a nice day first attested 1971. You never had it so good (1946) was said to be the stock answer to any complaints about U.S. Army life. Phrase have (noun), will (verb) is from 1954, originally from comedian Bob Hope, in the form Have tux, will travel; Hope described it as typical of vaudevillians' ads in "Variety," indicating a willingness to perform anywhere, any time.

haven --- O.E. hæfen, from O.N. hofn, from P.Gmc. *khafnaz (cf. M.L.G. havene, Ger. Hafen), perhaps from PIE *kap- "to seize, hold contain" (see have), but cf. also O.N. haf, O.E. hæf "sea." Figurative sense of "refuge," now practically the only sense, is c.1225.

haversack --- 1749, from Fr. havresac (1680), from Low Ger. hafersach "cavalry trooper's bag for horse provender," lit. "oat sack," from the Gmc. word for "oat" (cf. O.N. hafri, M.Du. havere, O.H.G. habaro). "Haver is a common word in the northern countries for oats." [Johnson]

havoc --- 1419, from Anglo-Fr. havok in phrase crier havok "cry havoc" (1385), a signal to soldiers to seize plunder, from O.Fr. havot "plundering, devastation" (fr. avoir), from a Gmc. source (see hawk (n.)), or from L. habere "to have, possess." General sense of "devastation" first recorded c.1480.

haw --- enclosure, O.E. haga "enclosure, hedge," from P.Gmc. *khag- (cf. O.N. hagi, O.S. hago, M.Du. hage, Du. haag, as in the city name The Hague). See hag and hedge. Meaning "fruit of the hawthorn bush" (O.E.) is perhaps short for *hægberie.

Hawaii --- from Hawaiian Hawai'i, from Proto-Polynesian *hawaiki. Said to mean "Place of the Gods" and be named in ref. to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. See also sandwich. First record of Hawaiian shirt is from 1955.

hawk (n.) --- O.E. hafoc (W. Saxon), from P.Gmc. *khabukaz (cf. O.N. haukr, M.Du. havik, Ger. Habicht "hawk"), from a root meaning "to seize," fro PIE *gabh- (cf. Rus. kobec "a kind of falcon"). Hawkish "militaristic" first attested 1965; hawk in this sense is attested from 1962.

hawk (v.) --- 1542 (hawker is attested from 1510), from M.L.G. höken "to peddle, carry on the back, squat," from P.Gmc. *khuk-. Despite the etymological connection with stooping under a burden on one's back, a hawker is technically distinguished from a peddler by use of a horse and cart or a van.

hawkshaw --- detective, U.S. slang, from name of the detective in "The Ticket-of-Leave Man," 1863 play by Eng. dramatist Tom Taylor (1817-80); it also was used in the comic strip "Hawkshaw the Detective" (1913-1947) by U.S. cartoonist Gus Mager (1878-1956).

hawser --- large rope used for mooring, towing, etc., 1294, from Anglo-Fr. haucer, from O.Fr. halcier, lit. "hoister," from V.L. *altiare, alteration of L.L. altare "make high," from altus "high" (see old). Altered in Eng. on mistaken association with hawse (from O.E. hals "prow of a ship," from the Gmc. word for "neck") and the hauling of boats.

hawthorn --- O.E. hagaþorn, earlier hæguþorn, from obsolete haw "hedge or encompassing fence" (see haw) + thorn (q.v.). Common Gmc., cf. M.Du., Ger. hagedorn, O.N. hagþorn.

hay --- grass mown, O.E. heg (Anglian), hieg, hig (W.Saxon) "grass cut or mown for fodder," from P.Gmc. *khaujan (cf. O.N. hey, O.Fris. ha, M.Du. hoy, Ger. Heu, Goth. hawi "hay"), lit. "that which is cut," or "that which can be mowed," from PIE *kau- "to hew, strike" (cf. O.E. heawan "to cut"). Hay-fever is from 1829; earlier it was called summer catarrh. Hayseed is from 1577 in the literal sense of "grass seed shaken out of hay;" in U.S. slang sense of "comical rustic" it dates from 1851. Haymaker in the sense of "very strong blow with the fist" is from 1912, probably in imitation of the wide swinging stroke of a scythe. Slang phrase hit the hay (pre-1880) was originally "to sleep in a barn;" hay in the general fig. sense of "bedding" (e.g. roll in the hay) is from 1903.

Hayward --- proper name, is O.E. hege-weard "guardian of the fence/hedge." His original duties seem to have been protecting the fences around the Lammas lands, when enclosed, to prevent cattle from breaking in while the crops grew.

haywire --- poorly equipped, makeshift, 1905, Amer.Eng., lit. "soft wire for binding bales of hay," from hay + wire. The extended sense being of something only held together with this, particularly said to be from use in New England lumber camps for jerry-rigging and makeshift purposes, so that haywire outfit became the term for a logging camp chronically ill-equipped and short on suplies. Its springy, uncontrollable quality led to the sense in go haywire (1929).

hazard --- 1167, from O.Fr. hasard "game of chance played with dice," possibly from Sp. azar "an unfortunate card or throw at dice," which is said to be from Arabic az-zahr (for al-zahr) "the die." But this is doubtful because of the absence of zahr in classical Arabic dictionaries. Klein suggests Arabic yasara "he played at dice;" Arabic -s- regularly becomes Sp. -z-. The -d was added in Fr. in confusion with the native suffix -ard. Sense of "chance of loss or harm, risk," first recorded 1548; the verb sense of "put something at stake in a game of chance" is from 1530. Hazardous in the sense of "perilous" is from 1618.

haze (n.) --- see hazy.

haze (v.) --- subject to cruel horseplay, 1850, Amer.Eng. student slang, from earlier nautical sense of "punish by keeping at unpleasant and unnecessary hard work" (1840), perhaps from hawze "terrify, frighten, confound" (1678), from M.Fr. haser "irritate, annoy" (1450), of unknown origin.

hazel --- O.E. hæsl, from P.Gmc. *khasalaz (cf. O.N. hasl, M.Du. hasel, Ger. hasel), from PIE *koslos (cf. L. corulus, O.Ir. coll "hazel"). Shakespeare ("Romeo and Juliet," 1592) was first to use it (in print) in the sense of "reddish-brown color of eyes" (in reference to the color of ripe hazel-nuts), when Mercutio accuses Benvolio of being testy with:

hazy --- 1625, hawsey, nautical, of unknown origin. Some connect it with Ger. hase "hare," an animal which plays an important part in Gmc. folklore, with many supernatural and unlucky aspects in medieval times (among the superstitions: a dead hare should not be brought aboard a fishing ship, and the word hare should not be spoken at sea). Another suggestion is O.E. hasu, haswe "gray." Haze (n.) is from 1706, probably a back-formation. Sense of "confusion, vagueness" is 1797.The Eng. differentiation of mist, fog, haze is unmatched in other languages (where the same word generally covers all three and often "cloud" as well), and may be a reflection of the Eng. climate.

he --- O.E. he, from P.Gmc. *hiz, from P.Gmc. base *khi-, from PIE *ki-, the "this, here" (as opposed to "that, there") root (cf. Hittite ki "this," Gk. ekeinos "that person," O.C.S. si, Lith. sis "this"), and thus the source of the third person pronouns in O.E. The feminine, hio, was replaced in early M.E. by forms from other stems (see she), while the h- wore off O.E. neut. hit to make modern it. The P.Gmc. root is also the source of the first element in Ger. heute "today," lit. "the day" (cf. O.E. heodæg). Slang he-man "masculine fellow" is from 1832, originally among U.S. pioneers.

head --- O.E. heafod "top of the body," also "upper end of a slope," also "chief person, leader, ruler," from P.Gmc. *khaubuthan (cf. O.S. hobid, O.N. hofuð, O.Fris. haved, Ger. Haupt, Goth. haubiþ "head"), from PIE *kauput- "head" (cf. Skt. kaput-, L. caput "head"), also "bowl" (as in skull). Modern spelling is c.1420, representing what was then a long vowel (as in heat). Meaning "obverse of a coin" is from 1684; meaning "foam on a mug of beer" is first attested 1545; meaning "toilet" is from 1748, based on location of crew toilet in the bow (or head) of a ship. Synechdochic use for "person" (as in head count) is first attested 1535; of cattle, etc., in this sense from 1513. To give head "perform fellatio" is from 1950s. Meaning "drug addict" (usually in a compound with the preferred drug as the first element) is from 1911. The verb head "to shape one's course toward" (1835) was originally nautical. Header "head-first dive or plunge" first attested 1849. Headlight is from 1861, originally of ships and locomotives. Headquarters is from 1647. Headstrong "determined to have one's way" is from 1398. Headroom "space above the head" first recorded 1851. Headphone is 1914, with second element extracted from telephone. Phrase head over heels is "a curious perversion" [Weekley] of M.E. heels over head. Phrase heads will roll "people will be punished" (1930) translates Adolf Hitler.

headache --- O.E. heafod ece, from head + ache. Colloquial sense of "troublesome problem" is first recorded 1934.

headline --- 1676, from head + line. Originally a printers' term for the line at the top of a page containing the title and page number; used of newspapers from 1890, and transferred unthinkingly to broadcast media. Headlinese "language peculiar to headlines" is from 1927.

headlong --- 1482, from hed "head" + suffix -ling (see grovel). Altered by folk etymology on pattern of sidelong, etc.

headway --- c.1300, short for ahead-way; ultimately nautical (cf. leeway). Generalized sense of "motion forward" first attested 1748.

heady --- 1382, from head + adj. suffix -y. Originally "headstrong;" first recorded 1577 in sense of "apt to go to the head."

heal --- O.E. hælan "make whole, sound and well," from P.Gmc. *khailaz (cf. O.S. helian, O.N. heila, O.Fris. hela, Du. heelen, Ger. heilen), lit. "to make whole," which is also the source of O.E. hal (see health). Heal-all as a native word for "panacea" is attested from 1577; applied to various plants since 1853.

health --- O.E. hælþ "wholeness, a being whole, sound or well," from PIE *kailo- "whole, uninjured, of good omen" (cf. O.E. hal "hale, whole;" O.N. heill "healthy;" O.E. halig, O.N. helge "holy, sacred;" O.E. hælan "to heal"). Healthy is first attested 1552.

heap --- O.E. heap "pile, great number, multitude," from W.Gmc. *khaupaz (cf. O.S. hop, M.L.G. hupe, Du. hoop, Ger. Haufe "heap"), probably related to O.E. heah "high." The verb is from O.E. heapian. Slang meaning "old car" is attested from 1924.

hear --- O.E. heran (Anglian), (ge)hieran, hyran (W.Saxon), from P.Gmc. *khauzjianan (cf. O.N. hegra, O.Fris. hora, Du. horen, Ger. hören, Goth. hausjan), perhaps from PIE base *(s)keu- "to notice, observe." Spelling difference between hear and here developed 1200-1550. Hearing "listening to evidence in a court of law" is from 1576; hearsay is 1532 from phrase to hear say. O.E. also had the excellent adj. hiersum "ready to hear, obedient," lit. "hear-some" with suffix from handsome, etc. Hear, hear! (1689) was originally imperative, used as an exclamation to call attention to a speaker's words; now a general cheer of approval. Originally it was hear him!

hearken --- O.E. heorcnian, from base of hieran (see hear). Harken is the usual spelling in U.S. and probably is better justified by etymology.

hearse --- 1291 (in Anglo-Latin), "flat framework for candles, hung over a coffin," from O.Fr. herce "long rake, harrow," from M.L. hercia, from L. hirpicem (nom. hirpex) "harrow," from Oscan hirpus "wolf," supposedly in allusion to its teeth. The Oscan word may be related to L. hirsutus "shaggy, bristly." So called because it resembled a harrow, a large rake for breaking up soil. Sense extended to other temporary frameworks built over dead people, then to "vehicle for carrying a body," a sense first recorded 1650.

heart --- O.E. heorte, from P.Gmc. *khertan- (cf. O.S. herta, O.N. hjarta, Du. hart, O.H.G. herza, Ger. Herz, Goth. hairto), from PIE *kerd- "heart" (cf. Gk. kardia, L. cor, O.Ir. cride, Welsh craidd, Hittite kir, Lith. širdis, Rus. serdce "heart," Breton kreiz "middle," O.C.S. sreda "middle"). Spelling with -ea- is c.1500, by analogy of pronunciation with stream, heat, etc., but remained when pronunciation shifted. Most of the figurative senses were present in O.E., including "intellect, memory," now only in by heart. Hearty is c.1380; heart-rending is from 1687. Heartache was in O.E. in the sense of a physical pain, 1602 in sense of "anguish of mind;" heartburn is c.1250. Broken-hearted is attested from 1526. Heart-strings (1483) was originally literal, in old anatomy theory "the tendons and nerves that brace the heart." Heartless (c.1330) originally was used with a meaning "dejected;" sense of "callous, cruel" is not certainly attested before Shelley used it so in 1816. Heartland first recorded 1904 in geo-political writings of H.J. MacKinder.

hearth --- O.E. heorð, from W.Gmc. *kherthaz "burning place" (cf. O.Fris. herth, M.Du. hert, Ger. Herd "floor, ground, fireplace"), from PIE *ker- "to singe, burn, glow" (see carbon).

heat --- O.E. hætu, hæto, from P.Gmc. *khaitin- "heat," from *khaitaz "hot" (cf. O.S. hittia, O.N. hiti, O.Fris. hete, Ger. hitze "heat," Goth. heito "fever"). The same root is the source of O.E. hat "hot" and hæða "hot weather." The verb is from O.E. hætan, from P.Gmc. *khaitijanam. Meaning "a single course in a race" is from 1663, perhaps from earlier fig. sense of "a single intense effort" (c.1380), or meaning "run given to a horse to prepare for a race" (1577). Meaning "sexual excitement in animals" is from 1768. Meaning "trouble with the police" attested by 1920. Heat wave "period of excessive hot weather" first attested 1893.

heath --- O.E. hæð "tract of wasteland," earlier "heather," infl. by O.N. heiðr "field," from P.Gmc. *khaithijo (cf. O.S. hetha, O.H.G. heida "heather," Du. heide "heath," Goth. haiþi "field"), from PIE *kait- "open, unplowed country" (cf. O.Ir. ciad, Welsh coed, Breton coet "wood, forest").

heathen --- O.E. hæðen "not Christian or Jewish," merged with O.N. heiðinn. Historically assumed to be from Goth. haiþno "gentile, heathen woman," used by Ulfilas in the first translation of the Bible into a Gmc. language (cf. Mark 7:26, for "Greek"); if so it could be a derivative of Goth. haiþi "dwelling on the heath," but this sense is not recorded. It may have been chosen on model of L. paganus (see pagan), or for resemblance to Gk. ethne (see gentile), or may in fact be a borrowing of that word, perhaps via Armenian hethanos. Like other words for exclusively Christian ideas (e.g. church) it would have come first into Gothic, then spread to other Gmc. languages.

heather --- 1335, hathir, from O.E. *hæddre, Scot. or northern England dial. name for Calluna vulgaris, probably altered by heath, but exact connection to that word uncertain.

heave --- O.E. hebban "to lift, raise" (class VI strong verb; past tense hof, pp. hafen), from P.Gmc. *khafjanan (cf. O.N. hefja, Du. heffen, Ger. heben, Goth. hafjan), from PIE *kap- "seize;" related to O.E. habban "to hold, possess." Sense of "retch, make an effort to vomit" is first attested 1601. Nautical heave-ho was a chant in lifting.

heaven --- O.E. heofon "home of God," earlier "sky," possibly from P.Gmc. *khemina- (cf. Low Ger. heben, O.N. himinn, Goth. himins, O.Fris. himul, Du. hemel, Ger. Himmel "heaven, sky"), from PIE base *kem-/*kam- "to cover" (cf. chemise). Plural use in sense of "sky" is probably from Ptolemaic theory of space composed of many spheres, but it was also formerly used in the same sense as the singular in Biblical language, as a translation of Heb. pl. shamayim. Heavenly "beautiful, divine" is from 1460, often (though not originally) with reference to the celestial "music of the spheres;" weakened sense of "excellent, enjoyable" is first recorded 1874.

heavy --- O.E. hefig, from P.Gmc. *khabigas (cf. O.N. hebig, O.N. hofugr), from *kafjanan and thus related to heave (q.v.). Theatrical (noun) sense of "villain" is 1880, from the adj. Jazz slang sense of "profound, serious" is from 1937. Heavy-handed was originally (1633) "weary" or "clumsy," sense of "overbearing" is first recorded 1883. Heavyweight is 1857, of horses, 1877 of fighters.

Hebe --- 1606, Gk. goddess of youth, from Gk. hebe "youth, strength of youth;" hence hebephrenia "adolescent insanity" (1886), coined in Mod.L. by Ger. psychiatrist Ewald Escker in 1871, from Gk. phrene (gen. phrenos) "mind."

Hebrew --- late O.E., from O.Fr. Ebreu, from L. Hebraeus, from Gk. Hebraios, from Aramaic 'ebhrai, corresponding to Heb. 'ibhri "an Israelite," lit. "one from the other side," in reference to the River Euphrates, or perhaps simply signifying "immigrant;" from 'ebher "region on the other or opposite side." Derogatory slang shortening Hebe is first recorded 1932.

Hecate --- c.1420, Gk. deity (said to be originally Thracian), an aspect of Artemis, fem. of hekatos "far-shooting." Associated since Shakespeare ("I Henry VI," III.ii.64) with witches and sorcery.

hecatomb --- 1592, from Gk. hekatombe "offering of 100 oxen," from hekaton "one hundred" (from on "one" + *katon "hundred") + bous "ox."

heck --- euphemistic alteration of hell, first recorded 1865.

heckle --- to question severely in a bid to find weaknesses, 1788, transferred usage of hekelen "to comb (flax or hemp) with a heckle," from M.E. hekele "a comb for flax or hemp" (1325), from M.Du. hekelen, the original sense of which was "to prickle, irritate," from P.Gmc. *khakilo- (related to hackle). "Long applied in Scotland to the public questioning of parliamentary candidates" [OED].

hectare --- 1810, from Fr. hectare "a hundred ares," formed from Gk. hekaton "hundred" (see hecatomb) + L. area "vacant piece of ground." A superficial measure containing 100 ares, coined by decree of the French National Convention in 1795.

hectic --- 1398, etik, from O.Fr. etique, from L.L. hecticus, from Gk. hektikos "continuous, habitual, consumptive" (of a disease, because of the constant fever), from hexis "habit," from ekhein "have, hold, continue." The Latin -h- was restored in Eng. 1500s. Sense of "feverishly exciting, full of disorganized activity" first recorded 1904.

hector --- 1387, "a valiant warrior," 1660 as slang for "a blustering, turbulent, pervicacious, noisy fellow" [Johnson], both in allusion to the provocative character of Hektor, Trojan hero, oldest son of Priam and Hecuba, in the "Iliad." It represents Gk. hektor, lit. "holder, stayer;" an agent noun from ekhein "to have, hold, possess." As a proper name, rare in England but used in Scotland to render Gael. Eachdonn.

Hecuba --- principal wife of Priam in the "Iliad," from Gk. Hekabe, perhaps a variant of Hecate.

hedge --- O.E. hecg, originally any fence, living or artificial, from W.Gmc. *khagja (cf. M.Du. hegge, O.H.G. hegga, Ger. Hecke "hedge"), from PIE. *khagh- "to encompass, enclose" (cf. L. caulae "a sheepfold, enclosure," Gaul. caio "circumvallation," Welsh cae "fence, hedge"). Related to O.E. haga "enclosure, hedge" (see haw). Prefixed to any word, it "notes something mean, vile, of the lowest class" [Johnson], from contemptuous attributive sense of "plying one's trade under a hedge" (hedge-priest, hedge-lawyer, hedge-wench, etc.), a usage attested from c.1530. The verb sense of "dodge, evade" is first recorded 1598; that of "insure oneself against loss," as in a bet, is from 1672. Hedgehog is c.1450 (replacing O.E. igl), the second element an allusion to its pig-like snout. Hedgerow is O.E. heggeræw.

hedonist --- 1822, in reference to the Cyrenaic school of philosophy that deals with the ethics of pleasure, from Gk. hedonikos "pleasurable," from hedone "pleasure," related to hedys "sweet" (see sweet). Hedonistic is from 1866; earlier adj. form was hedonic (1656). A hedonist is properly the follower of any ethical system in which the highest good is some sort of pleasure. The Epicurian identifies this with the practice of virtue.

Hedwig --- fem. proper name, from Ger., from O.H.G. haduwig, a compound of two words both of which mean "strife, struggle."

heebie-jeebies --- 1923, said to have been coined by U.S. cartoonist Billy De Beck (1890-1942), creator of "Barney Google."

heed --- O.E. hedan "to take care, attend," from W.Gmc. *hodjan (cf. OS. hodian, O.Fris. hoda, Ger. hüten "to guard, watch"). Survives only in lit. use and as the object of verbs (take heed, etc.). Probably related to O.E. hod "hood" through a sense of "guard." Heedless "without regard" is from 1579.