Hebetate, heb′e-tāt, v.t. to make dull or blunt.—adj. Heb′etant, making dull.—ns. Hebetā′tion, Heb′etūde; Hebetudinos′ity.—adj. Hebetū′dinous. [L. hebetāre, -ātum—hebes, blunt.]
Hebrew, hē′brōō, n. one of the descendants of Abraham, who emigrated from beyond the Euphrates into Palestine: an Israelite, a Jew: the language of the Hebrews (fem. Hē′brewess, B.): (coll.) unintelligible speech.—adj. relating to the Hebrews.—adjs. Hebrā′ic, -al, relating to the Hebrews or to their language.—adv. Hebrā′ically, after the manner of the Hebrew language: from right to left.—n. Hebrā′icism.—v.t. Hē′braise, to express as in Hebrew: to conform or incline to Hebrew ideals.—ns. Hē′braiser; Hē′braism, a Hebrew idiom; Hē′braist, one skilled in Hebrew.—adjs. Hebraist′ic, -al, of or like Hebrew.—adv. Hebraist′ically.—n. Hē′brewism. [O. Fr. Ebreu—L. Hebræus—Gr. Hebraios—Heb. ‛ibrî, lit. 'one from the other side (of the river).']
Hebridean, hē-brid′ē-an, -i-an, adj. pertaining to the Hebrides—also Hebrid′ian.—n. a native thereof.
Hecate, hek′a-tē, n. a mysterious goddess, in Hesiod having power over earth, heaven, and sea—afterwards identified with many other goddesses, her power above all displayed in the matter of ghosts and bogies. [L.,—Gr. Hekatē—hekas, far.]
Hecatomb, hek′a-tom, n. among the Greeks and Romans, a sacrifice of a hundred oxen: a great public sacrifice: any large number of victims. [Gr. hekatombē—hekaton, a hundred, bous, an ox.]
Hecatontome, hek′a-ton-tōm, n. (Milt.) a very large number of books. [Gr. hekaton, a hundred, tomos, a volume.]
Hech, heh, interj. (Scot.) an exclamation of surprise.
Hecht, heht, Scotch form of hight, v.
Heck, hek, n. (Scot.) a rack in a stable for hay, &c.: a grated contrivance for catching fish: a contrivance in a spinning-wheel, and also in a warping-mill, by which the yarn or thread is guided to the reels.—Live at heck and manger, to be in very comfortable quarters. [A.S. hec, hæc; Dut. hek.]
Heckle, hek′l, v.i. to comb: to put a parliamentary candidate, or the like, through a series of embarrassing questions.—n. the same as Hack′le, Hatch′el.—ns. Heck′le, the long shining feathers on a cock's neck, a feather ornament in the full-dress bonnets of Highland regiments; Heck′ler, one who torments a candidate with catching questions.