hang
/hæŋ/ verb, noun
Forms hangs hanging hung hanged hangest hungest hangedst hangeth Hanghang
- verb (intransitive) To be or remain suspended. “The lights hung from the ceiling.”
- verb (intransitive) To float, as if suspended. “The smoke hung in the room.”
- verb (intransitive) To veer in one direction.
- verb (intransitive, of a ball in cricket, tennis, etc.) To rebound unexpectedly or unusually slowly, due to backward spin on the ball or imperfections of the ground.
- verb (transitive) To hold or bear in a suspended or inclined manner or position instead of erect. “He hung his head in shame.”
- verb (transitive) To cause (something) to be suspended, as from a hook, hanger, hinges, or the like. “Hang those lights from the ceiling.”
- verb (transitive, law) To kill (someone) by suspension from the neck, usually as a form of execution or suicide. “The culprits were hanged from the nearest tree.”
- verb (intransitive, law) To be executed by suspension by one's neck from a gallows, a tree, or other raised bar, attached by a rope tied into a noose. “You will hang for this, my friend.”
- noun The way in which something hangs. “This skirt has a nice hang.”
- noun A mass of hanging material.
- noun A slackening of motion.
- noun A sharp or steep declivity or slope.
- noun (computing) An instance of ceasing to respond to input. “We sometimes get system hangs.”
- noun (informal, figuratively) A grip, understanding.
- noun A hangout.
- noun A person that someone hangs out with.
- noun (Ireland, informal, derogatory) Cheap processed ham (cured pork), often made specially for sandwiches.
- noun (colloquial) The smallest amount of concern or consideration; a damn. “I don't give a hang.”
- noun A percussion instrument invented and built by PANArt Hangbau AG, somewhat resembling a steelpan, consisting of two metal half shells with tuned notes on the top side that produces a mellow and ethereal sound.
Synonyms
be suspend dangle float hover drop lower suspend hook hook up hang up lynch go to the gallows hang out hang about hang around loiter exhibit show put up bedeck bent knack string up fall flow attend advert pay heed give ear cling
Etymology
From Middle English hangen, hongen, from a fusion of Old English hōn (“to hang, be hanging”, transitive verb) and hangian (“to hang, cause to hang”, intransitive verb), respectively from the transitive verb Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han and the intransitive verb *hangēn; also probably influenced by Old Norse hengja (“to suspend”) and hanga (“to be suspended”); all from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną and *hangāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱenk- (“to waver, be in suspense”).
See also Dutch hangen, Low German hangen and hängen, German hängen, Norwegian Bokmål henge, Norwegian Nynorsk henga; also Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (hāhan), Hittite 𒂵𒀀𒀭𒂵 (/kānk-/, “to hang”), Sanskrit शङ्कते (śáṅkate, “is in doubt, hesitates”), Latin cūnctārī (“to delay”).
From hang sangwich, Irish colloquial pronunciation of ham sandwich.
Alteration of dang, itself a minced oath of damn.
Coined as a trademark, from Alemannic German Hang (“hand”), c. 2000.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To suspend; to fasten to some elevated point without support from below; --often used with up or out; as, to hang a coat on a hook; to hang up a sign; to hang out a banner.
- verb To fasten in a manner which will allow of free motion upon the point or points of suspension; --said of a pendulum, a swing, a door, gate, etc.
- verb To be suspended or fastened to some elevated point without support from below; to dangle; to float; to rest; to remain; to stay.
- verb To be fastened in such a manner as to allow of free motion on the point or points of suspension.
Etymology [OE. hangen, hangien, v. t. & i., AS. hangian, v. i., fr. h, v. t. (imp. heng, p. p. hongen); akin to OS. hang, v. i. D. hangen, v. t. & i., G. hangen, v. i, hängen, v. t, Isel hanga, v. i., Goth. hahan, v. t. (imp. haíhah), hahan, v. i. (imp. hahaida), and perh. to L. cunctari to delay. sq. root37.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hang”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details