Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Grass or other plants, such as clover or alfalfa, cut and dried for fodder.
  • noun Slang A trifling amount of money.
  • intransitive verb To mow and cure grass and herbage for hay.
  • intransitive verb To make (grass) into hay.
  • intransitive verb To feed with hay.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make hay of; convert into hay.
  • To feed with hay; give hay to.
  • To cut and dry or cure grass for use as fodder.
  • Same as hey.
  • In fencing: An exclamation used when one's opponent is hit.
  • A home thrust.
  • To lay snares for rabbits.
  • noun Grass that has been cut; especially, grass cut and dried for use as fodder.
  • noun To throw things into confusion; scatter everything about in disorder.
  • noun A hedge.
  • noun A net set round the haunt of an animal.
  • noun An inclosure; a haw.
  • noun [Cf. heydeguy.] A round country-dance; a dance in a ring.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To cut and cure grass for hay.
  • noun Grass cut and cured for fodder.
  • noun a canvas covering for a haycock.
  • noun (Med.) nasal catarrh accompanied with fever, and sometimes with paroxysms of dyspnœa, to which some persons are subject in the spring and summer seasons. It has been attributed to the effluvium from hay, and to the pollen of certain plants. It is also called hay asthma, hay cold, rose cold, and rose fever.
  • noun a sharp instrument used in cutting hay out of a stack or mow.
  • noun a press for baling loose hay.
  • noun the juice of hay extracted by boiling, used as food for cattle, etc.
  • noun a machine for spreading and turning new-mown hay. See Tedder.
  • noun obsolete A hedge.
  • noun A net set around the haunt of an animal, especially of a rabbit.
  • noun to dance in a ring.
  • intransitive verb To lay snares for rabbits.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The name of the letter for the h sound in Pitman shorthand.
  • noun uncountable Grass cut and dried for use as animal fodder.
  • noun countable Any mix of green leafy plants used for fodder.
  • noun slang Cannabis; marijuana.
  • verb To cut grasses or herb plants for use as animal fodder.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb convert (plant material) into hay
  • noun grass mowed and cured for use as fodder

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English hīeg; see kau- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English hey, from Old English hīġ, hīeġ, from Proto-Germanic *hawjan (cf. West Frisian hea, Dutch hooi, German Heu), from *hawwanan ‘to hew, cut down’. More at hew.

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Examples

  • The ultimate problem with hay is whether or not there will be enough to go around for the animals in the area.

    Farm Journal: Final Push Day Olga Bonfiglio 2010

  • The agency likes to call it "clearing hay from the haystack."

    Skipping the Line at Customs Scott McCartney 2010

  • The ultimate problem with hay is whether or not there will be enough to go around for the animals in the area.

    Archive 2010-06-01 Olga Bonfiglio 2010

  • But even that would have been tactically unwise, because Letiecq made his video himself, likely possesses an original, likely could distribute it through other means, and likely would make much hay from the attempt to suppress it -- just as he has done here.

    Campaign Manager or Campaign Distraction?- UPDATE 2009

  • I agree with hmfr you hipacritical people what the hay is wrong with you all, have any of you lost anyone dear and close? if you had you would be more sympathetic towards Danny, I give him so much credit, most people go into a depression

    Danny Gokey Grandfather Dies 2009

  • This was why he sat at the beer table with Captain Jorgensen, who was just returned with a schooner-load of hay from the Petaluma Flats.

    CHAPTER XVII 2010

  • It became part of the wildness of the ranch, and, after being helped for a season, was left to its own devices. they used to gather the seeds of the California poppy and scatter them over their own acres, so that the orange-colored blossoms spangled the fields of mountain hay and prospered in flaming drifts in the fence corners and along the edges of the clearings.

    Chapter XXV 2010

  • Two winters ago, in a neighboring state, The Fish And Game Department decided to prevent the northern most deer-herd from starving to death in the snow banks by dropping them baled hay from a C-130.

    See Us in the Funny Pages 2008

  • With the main hay fever, in particular cedar fever, season nearly over, this report from japan. internet.com on a survey by goo Research Inc into hay fever is interesting to see how it has affected people this spring.

    Hay fever sufferers and prevention in Japan 2008

  • Por fin hay un organismo del Estado que sabe hacer sus trámites de una manera fácil para el usuario y con una actitud amable

    Un trámite / Spanish customs 2007

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