Haversack, hav′ėr-sak, n. a bag of strong linen for a soldier carrying his rations in.—n. Hav′er (prov.), oats. [Fr. havresac—Ger. habersack, oat-sack—haber, hafer, oats.]
Haversian, hav-er′si-an, adj. pertaining to or named after Clopton Havers, a 17th-cent. English anatomist who investigated the blood-vascular system of bone.
Havildar, hav′il-dar, n. the highest rank of non-commissioned officer among native troops in India and Ceylon. [Pers.]
Haviour, hāv′ūr, n. (obs.) behaviour.
Havoc, hav′ok, n. general waste or destruction: devastation.—v.t. to lay waste.—interj. an ancient hunting or war cry. [O. Fr. havot, plunder, of Teut. origin.]
Haw, haw, n. a hedge or enclosure: a field: the berry of the hawthorn.—ns. Haw′-buck, a clown; Haw′finch, the common grosbeak; Haw′thorn, a shrub or small tree, much planted both for hedges and for ornament: the white flower of the hawthorn. [A.S. haga, a yard or enclosure; Dut. haag, a hedge, Ger. hag, a hedge, Ice. hagi, a field.]
Haw, haw, v.i. to speak with hesitation or a drawling manner, real or affected—hence adj. Haw-haw, in an affected tone of voice.—n. a hesitation in speech: loud vulgar laughter.—v.i. to guffaw, to laugh boisterously. [Imit.]
Haw, haw, n. the nictitating membrane or third eyelid, as of a horse; also a disease of this membrane.
Hawk, hawk, n. the name of several birds of prey allied to the falcons: a rapacious person.—v.i. to hunt birds with hawks trained for the purpose: to attack on the wing.—ns. Hawk′-bell, a small bell attached to a hawk's leg; Hawk′bit, a genus of plants of order Compositæ, closely related to the dandelion; Hawk′er.—adj. Hawk′-eyed.—n. Hawk′ing.—adj. Hawk′ish.—n. Hawk′-moth, a very large kind of moth, so called from its hovering motion.—adj. Hawk′-nosed, having a nose like a hawk's beak.—ns. Hawks′beard, a genus of annual and biennial plants of order Compositæ, closely related to hawkweed; Hawk′weed, a genus of perennial plants of order Compositæ.—Know a hawk from a handsaw (prob. for hernshaw), to be able to judge between things pretty well. [A.S. hafoc; Dut. havik, Ger. habicht, Ice. haukr.]
Hawk, hawk, v.i. to force up matter from the throat.—n. the effort to do this. [Imit.]