Hack, hak, n. a horse kept for hire, esp. a poor one: any person overworked on hire: a literary drudge.—adj. hired, mercenary: used up.—v.t. to offer for hire: to use roughly.—n. Hack′-work, literary drudgery for which a person is hired by a publisher, as making dictionaries, &c. [Contr. of hackney.]
Hack, hak, n. a grated frame, as a rack for feeding cattle, a place for drying bricks, &c. [Hatch.]
Hackberry, hak′ber-i, n. an American tree, allied to the elm. [See Hagberry.]
Hackbut, hak′but, n. an arquebuse—also Hag′but.—n. Hackbuteer′. [O. Fr. haquebute, from Dut. haakbus. See Arquebuse.]
Hackee, hak′ē, n. the United States chipmuck or ground-squirrel. [Imit.]
Hackery, hak′er-i, n. a native bullock-cart. [Hind. chhakrā, a cart.]
Hackle, hak′l, n. an instrument with iron teeth for sorting hemp or flax: any flimsy substance unspun: a feather in a cock's neck: part of the dressing of a fly-hook used by anglers.—v.t. to dress with a hackle, as flax: to tear rudely asunder.—n. Hack′ler, a flax-dresser, heckler.—adj. Hack′ly, rough and broken, as if hacked or chopped: (min.) covered with sharp points. [Cf. Dut. hekel, Ger. hechel.]
Hacklet, hak′let, n. a kind of sea-bird, prob. the shear-water—also Hag′let.—The Hagden is the Greater Shear-water (Puffinus major).
Hackney, hak′ni, n. a horse for general use, esp. for hire: (obs.) a person hired for any mean work.—v.t. to carry in a hackney-coach: to use much: to make commonplace.—adjs. Hack′ney, Hack′neyed, let out for hire: devoted to common use: much used.—ns. Hack′ney-coach, a coach let out for hire; Hack′ney-coach′man; Hack′neyman, one who keeps hackney horses. [O. Fr. haquenee, an ambling nag; further history unknown.]
Hacqueton (Spens.). A form of acton.