Definitions

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

  • noun The hair of a horse, especially from the mane or tail.
  • noun Cloth made of the hair of horses.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The hair of horses, more particularly the hair of the mane and tail. It is used for the making of hair-cloth, the stuffing of mattresses and cushions, etc.
  • Made of horsehair; covered, filled, or stuffed with horsehair: as, horsehair covering; a horsehair mattress.

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

  • noun A hair of a horse, especially one from the mane or tail; the hairs of the mane or tail taken collectively
  • noun (Zoöl.) the hair worm or gordius.

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

  • noun The hair of a horse, especially from the mane and tail, used for upholstery.
  • noun A fabric made from this.

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

  • noun a fabric made from fibers taken from the mane or tail of horses; used for upholstery
  • noun hair taken from the mane or tail of a horse

Etymologies

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Examples

  • This apparently magical feat is accomplished by means of a halter of horsehair, which is passed round under the neck of the horse, and both ends braided into the mane, on the withers, thus forming a loop which hangs under the neck and against the breast.

    The Dog Crusoe and his Master 1859

  • This snare is placed across a hole about the size of a crown piece, and consists of a strong noose made of horsehair, which is fixed to a peg, and so arranged that the slightest touch causes it to rebound and catch them by the leg.

    Le Morvan, [A District of France,] Its Wild Sports, Vineyards and Forests; with Legends, Antiquities, Rural and Local Sketches Henri de Crignelle 1840

  • A dress has layers of tulle and stiff "horsehair" interior trim for structure and bounce.

    Fashion Campaign Shelly Branch 2008

  • And I sat down upon a kind of horsehair slab, or perch, of which there were two within; and looked, without any expression of countenance whatever, at some friends who had come on board with us, and who were crushing their faces into all manner of shapes by endeavouring to squeeze them through the small doorway.

    American Notes for General Circulation 2007

  • We sat down in the "horsehair" chairs of a well-to-do farmer's parlor -- furnished in black walnut, with the usual organ against one wall, and the usual marble-topped bureau against the other.

    Under the Prophet in Utah; the National Menace of a Political Priestcraft Frank Jenne Cannon 1902

  • And I sat down upon a kind of horsehair slab, or perch, of which there were two within; and looked, without any expression of countenance whatever, at some friends who had come on board with us, and who were crushing their faces into all manner of shapes by endeavouring to squeeze them through the small doorway.

    American Notes 1842

  • And I sat down upon a kind of horsehair slab, or perch, of which there were two within; and looked, without any expression of countenance whatever, at some friends who had come on board with us, and who were crushing their faces into all manner of shapes by endeavouring to squeeze them through the small doorway.

    American Notes Charles Dickens 1841

  • I personally fell in love with one of Robin Zehr's new "horsehair" pottery pieces and it soon will be gracing one of the shelves in my living room.

    PNJ - News 2008

  • The gallery offers a number of great holiday gifts, such as horsehair ornaments, small traditional horsehair pottery pieces, holiday assortment card packages, handmade Navajo jewelry, a DVD of the most beautiful photography work done by Tom Narwid, and more.

    Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press 2008

  • The gallery offers a number of great holiday gifts, such as horsehair ornaments, small traditional horsehair pottery pieces, holiday assortment card packages, handmade Navajo jewelry, a DVD of the most beautiful photography work done by Tom Narwid, and more.

    Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press 2008

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