Hypertext Webster Gateway: "hair"

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)

Hair
(1.) The Egyptians let the hair of their head and beard grow
only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times.
"So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it
was a subject of reproach and ridicule; and whenever they
intended to convey the idea of a man of low condition, or a
slovenly person, the artists represented him with a beard."
Joseph shaved himself before going in to Pharoah (Gen. 41:14).
The women of Egypt wore their hair long and plaited. Wigs were
worn by priests and laymen to cover the shaven skull, and false
beards were common. The great masses of hair seen in the
portraits and statues of kings and priests are thus altogether
artificial.

(2.) A precisely opposite practice, as regards men, prevailed
among the Assyrians. In Assyrian sculptures the hair always
appears long, and combed closely down upon the head. The beard
also was allowed to grow to its full length.

(3.) Among the Greeks the custom in this respect varied at
different times, as it did also among the Romans. In the time of
the apostle, among the Greeks the men wore short hair, while
that of the women was long (1 Cor. 11:14, 15). Paul reproves the
Corinthians for falling in with a style of manners which so far
confounded the distinction of the sexes and was hurtful to good
morals. (See, however, 1 Tim. 2:9, and 1 Pet. 3:3, as regards
women.)

(4.) Among the Hebrews the natural distinction between the
sexes was preserved by the women wearing long hair (Luke 7:38;
John 11:2; 1 Cor. 11:6), while the men preserved theirs as a
rule at a moderate length by frequent clipping.

Baldness disqualified any one for the priest's office (Lev.
21).

Elijah is called a "hairy man" (2 Kings 1:8) from his flowing
locks, or more probably from the shaggy cloak of hair which he
wore. His raiment was of camel's hair.

Long hair is especially noticed in the description of
Absalom's person (2 Sam. 14:26); but the wearing of long hair
was unusual, and was only practised as an act of religious
observance by Nazarites (Num. 6:5; Judg. 13:5) and others in
token of special mercies (Acts 18:18).

In times of affliction the hair was cut off (Isa. 3:17, 24;
15:2; 22:12; Jer. 7:29; Amos 8:10). Tearing the hair and letting
it go dishevelled were also tokens of grief (Ezra 9:3). "Cutting
off the hair" is a figure of the entire destruction of a people
(Isa. 7:20). The Hebrews anointed the hair profusely with
fragrant ointments (Ruth 3:3; 2 Sam. 14:2; Ps. 23:5; 45:7,
etc.), especially in seasons of rejoicing (Matt. 6:17; Luke
7:46).

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Hair \Hair\, n. [OE. her, heer, h[ae]r, AS. h[=ae]r; akin to
OFries, h[=e]r, D. & G. haar, OHG. & Icel. h[=a]r, Dan. haar,
Sw. h[*a]r; cf. Lith. kasa.]
1. The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin
of an animal, and forming a covering for a part of the
head or for any part or the whole of the body.

2. One the above-mentioned filaments, consisting, in
invertebrate animals, of a long, tubular part which is
free and flexible, and a bulbous root imbedded in the
skin.

Then read he me how Sampson lost his hairs.
--Chaucer.

And draweth new delights with hoary hairs.
--Spenser.

3. Hair (human or animal) used for various purposes; as, hair
for stuffing cushions.

4. (Zo["o]l.) A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle
of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.
Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in
structure, composition, and mode of growth.

5. An outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of
several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or
stellated. Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the
yellow frog lily ({Nuphar}).

6. A spring device used in a hair-trigger firearm.

7. A haircloth. [Obc.] --Chaucer.

8. Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth.

Note: Hairs is often used adjectively or in combination; as,
hairbrush or hair brush, hair dye, hair oil, hairpin,
hair powder, a brush, a dye, etc., for the hair.

{Against the hair}, in a rough and disagreeable manner;
against the grain. [Obs.] ``You go against the hair of
your professions.'' --Shak.

{Hair bracket} (Ship Carp.), a molding which comes in at the
back of, or runs aft from, the figurehead.

{Hair cells} (Anat.), cells with hairlike processes in the
sensory epithelium of certain parts of the internal ear.


{Hair compass}, {Hair divider}, a compass or divider capable
of delicate adjustment by means of a screw.

{Hair glove}, a glove of horsehair for rubbing the skin.

{Hair lace}, a netted fillet for tying up the hair of the
head. --Swift.

{Hair line}, a line made of hair; a very slender line.

{Hair moth} (Zo["o]l.), any moth which destroys goods made of
hair, esp. {Tinea biselliella}.

{Hair pencil}, a brush or fine hair, for painting; --
generally called by the name of the hair used; as, a
camel's hair pencil, a sable's hair pencil, etc.

{Hair plate}, an iron plate forming the back of the hearth of
a bloomery fire.

{Hair powder}, a white perfumed powder, as of flour or
starch, formerly much used for sprinkling on the hair of
the head, or on wigs.

{Hair seal} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of eared
seals which do not produce fur; a sea lion.

{Hair seating}, haircloth for seats of chairs, etc.

{Hair shirt}, a shirt, or a band for the loins, made of
horsehair, and worn as a penance.

{Hair sieve}, a strainer with a haircloth bottom.

{Hair snake}. See {Gordius}.

{Hair space} (Printing), the thinnest metal space used in
lines of type.

{Hair stroke}, a delicate stroke in writing.

{Hair trigger}, a trigger so constructed as to discharge a
firearm by a very slight pressure, as by the touch of a
hair. --Farrow.

{Not worth a hair}, of no value.

{To a hair}, with the nicest distinction.

{To split hairs}, to make distinctions of useless nicety.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

hair
n 1: dense growth of hairs covering the body or parts of it (as
on the human head); helps prevent heat loss; "he combed
his hair"
2: a very small distance or space; "they escaped by a
hair's-breadth"; "they lost by a hair" [syn: {hair's-breadth},
{hairbreadth}]
3: filamentous hairlike growth on a plant; "peach fuzz" [syn: {fuzz},
{tomentum}]
4: any of the cylindrical filaments characteristically growing
from the epidermis of a mammal; "there is a hair in my
soup" [syn: {pilus}]
5: cloth woven from horsehair or camelhair; used for upholstery
or stiffening in garments [syn: {haircloth}]
6: a filamentous projection or process on an organism


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