I. ˈhät, usu -äd.+V adjective
( hotter ; hottest )
Etymology: Middle English hoot, hot, from Old English hāt; akin to Old Frisian & Old Saxon hēt hot, Old High German heiz, Old Norse heitr hot, Gothic heito fever, Lithuanian kaĩsti to get hot
1. : having heat in a degree exceeding normal body heat : having a relatively high temperature : giving or capable of giving a sensation of heat : capable of burning, searing, or scalding
hot stove
hot forehead
2.
a. : ardent , fiery
hot blood of youth
hot tempers
: vehement
hot words were exchanged
b. : violent , raging
hot battle
c. : urgent , feverish
messengers sent in hot haste
d.
(1) of an animal : being in heat
(2) : lustful , lecherous
e. : zealous , eager
hot for reform
hot patriot
hot baseball fan
hot fisherman
f.
(1) of jazz : ecstatic and emotionally exciting and usually marked by complex rhythms and free contrapuntal improvisations on the melody — often contrasted with sweet
(2) of a jazz performer : stimulated and inspired to complete rhythmic and melodic freedom
3.
a. : having the sensation of an uncomfortable degree of body heat : too warm for comfort
hot and tired
I'm too hot in this sweater
b. : causing discomfort or distress through excessive warmth or humidity
hot climate
this room is hot and stuffy
hot sunshine
c.
(1) : naturally or constitutionally possessing heat — used in medieval physiology, natural philosophy, and astrology to name one of the qualities of the four elements
(2) of a sign of the zodiac : having a hot complexion
4.
a. : having or retaining the heat of cooking
this pudding is best when served hot
will you have hot or iced coffee
b. : not yet grown cool or stale : newly made or received : fresh
news hot from the press
following a hot scent
also : close to something pursued or sought
hot on the trail of the murderer
guess again, you're getting hotter
c. : suggestive of heat
hot smell of burning rubber
hot sound of buzzing flies
or of burning or glowing objects
I like hot colors … hot orange and red and shocking pink — Mitzi Gaynor
d.
(1) of type : made by the casting of hot metal into a mold
(2) : using type so made
hot composition
— compare cold
e. : uncomfortable to an intolerable or dangerous degree : unsafe
the police were making the town too hot for him
5. : pungent , peppery , biting
hot sauce
hot pickles
6. : showing energy or activity in an unusual degree: as
a. : of intense and immediate interest
hot news story
hot scandal
b. : unusually lucky or successful
hot streak at poker
or favorable
the dice are hot for me tonight
c. : temporarily capable of unusual performance (as in a sport)
any one of half a dozen golfers might get hot and win this tournament
hot favorite in the race
d. of merchandise or securities : readily salable : enjoying current popularity
hot items in women's wear
e.
(1) : very good — used as a generalized term of approval
a real hot lawyer
he's hot in math
(2) slang : absurd , unbelievable
wants to fight the champion? that's a hot one
7. : having or charged with high energy: as
a. : electrically charged ; especially : charged with high voltage
b. of a cartridge : having a powder load which gives a high muzzle velocity and corresponding high chamber pressure and flat trajectory — used especially of hand-loaded ammunition
c. : radioactive
hot material
also : dealing with radioactive material
hot laboratory
d. of an airplane : fast ; especially : characterized by a high landing speed
8.
a. : stolen or otherwise illegally obtained
hot jewels
hot bonds
also : contraband
b. : wanted by the police : fugitive from justice
c. of a commodity : prohibited by law or agreement from being shipped or handled
hot oil
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English hoote, hote, from Old English hāte, from hāt, adjective
: hotly
the sun shines hot — Shakespeare
hot -glowing coals
took a club and gave it to him hot and heavy
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English hoot, hot, from hoot, hot, adjective
1. dialect : heat
2. : hot dog
IV. verb
( hotted ; hotted ; hotting ; hots )
Etymology: hot (I)
intransitive verb
chiefly Britain : to become warm or heated — usually used with up
fresh air hots up quickly
the argument had hotted up considerably
transitive verb
chiefly Britain : warm , heat ; specifically : to warm over (food) — usually used with up
there's some stew and dumplings left I can hot up in a minute — Victoria Lincoln
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English hott, from Old French hotte, hote, of Germanic origin; akin to German dialect hutte, hotte basket, pannier, Middle High German hotte, hotze cradle — more at hod
1. now dialect England : a basket for carrying earth or manure
2. dialect Britain : a little heap or pile (as of manure)
3. obsolete : a padded sheath for the spur of a gamecock
VI. adjective
1. : being full of detail and information and requiring little or no involvement of the listener, viewer, or reader
a hot medium like radio — H.M.McLuhan
2. : sexy
VII. noun
hots plural : strong sexual desire — used with the
about a young girl … with the hots for gypsy-dark men — H.C.Veit