hobby
UK /ˈhɒ.bi/ · US /ˈhɑ.bi/ noun, proper noun
Forms hobbies Hobbys
- noun An activity that one enjoys doing in one's spare time. “I like to collect stamps from different countries as a hobby.”
- noun (equestrianism) An extinct breed of horse native to the British Isles, also known as the Irish Hobby.
- noun Synonym of hobby horse (“a favorite topic”).
- noun (tabletop wargaming, sometimes) Painting and building miniatures (as opposed to playing the game) “I'm more into the competitive part than the hobby part of this game.”
- noun Any of four species of small falcons in the genus Falco, especially Falco subbuteo.
- proper noun An English surname transferred from the given name.
Synonyms
avocation hobby horse pastime amusement diversion divertisement fancy kill-time pursuit sport by-line sideline spare-time activity hobbyhorse rocking horse Falco subbuteo
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English hoby (“small horse, pony”), a variant or alteration of hobyn (“a small ambling horse”), of uncertain and disputed origin. According to one theory the term is derived from Hobin, a pet name of Robert or Robin, at the time frequently used as a proper name for a workhorse (compare dobbin).
Alternatively, possibly from Anglo-Norman hobyn, Old French hobin, obin ("a nag, hobby"; > Modern French aubin, Italian ubino): either derived from Old French hober, ober (“to stir, move”), from Old Dutch *hobbon ("to toss, move up and down"; whence Middle Dutch hobbelen (“to bump along”)); or possibly from North Germanic origin related to Danish hoppe (“a mare”), Old Swedish hoppa (“a young mare”), North Frisian hoppe (“horse”); both routes ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic *huppōną (“to bob, hop”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewb- (“to bend; a bend, joint”). More at hop, hobble.
The modern sense of "pastime, activity of interest" is a clipping of hobby horse, which had shifted from "small horse, pony" to "child's toy riding horse" to "favorite pastime or avocation" with the connecting notion being "activity that doesn't go anywhere".
From Middle English hoby, hobeye, from Old French hobé, hobei, hobet, from Medieval Latin hopētus, diminutive of harpe.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A small, strong-winged European falcon (Falco subbuteo), formerly trained for hawking.
- noun A strong, active horse, of a middle size, said to have been originally from Ireland; an ambling nag. Johnson.
- noun A stick, often with the head or figure of a horse, on which boys make believe to ride. [ Usually under the form hobbyhorse.]
Etymology [OE. hobi; cf. OF. hobe, hobé, F. hobereau a hobby, a species of falcon. OF. hober to move, stir. Cf. Hobby a horse.]
Etymology [OE. hobin a nag, OF. hobin hobby; cf. hober to stir, move; prob. of German or Scand. origin; cf. Dan. hoppe a mare, dial. Sw. hoppa; perh. akin to E. hop to jump.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hobby”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details