HIGH


Meaning of HIGH in English

I. ˈhī adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hēah; akin to Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaukaras hill

Date: before 12th century

1.

a. : having large extension upward : taller than average, usual, or expected

a high wall

b. : having a specified elevation : tall

six feet high

— often used in combinations

sky- high

waist- high

c. : situated or passing above the normal level, surface, base of measurement, or elevation

the high desert

2.

a.

(1) : advanced toward the acme or culmination

high summer

(2) : advanced toward the most active or culminating period

on the Riviera during high season

(3) : constituting the late, most fully developed, or most creative stage or period

high Gothic

(4) : advanced in complexity, development, or elaboration

the high er primates including humans

high er mathematics

b. : verging on lateness — usually used in the phrase high time

c. : long past : remote

high antiquity

3. : elevated in pitch

a high note

4. : relatively far from the equator

high latitude

5. : rich in quality : luxurious

high living

6. : slightly tainted

high game

also : malodorous

smelled rather high

7. : exalted in character : noble

high purposes

8. : of greater degree, amount, cost, value, or content than average, usual, or expected

high prices

9. : of relatively great importance: as

a. : foremost in rank, dignity, or standing

high officials

b. : serious , grave

high crimes

c. : observed with the utmost solemnity

high religious observances

d. : critical , climactic

the high point of the novel

e. : intellectually or artistically of the first order

high culture

f. : marked by sublime, heroic, or stirring events or subject matter

high tragedy

high adventure

10. : forcible , strong

high winds

11. : stressing matters of doctrine and ceremony ; specifically : High Church

12.

a. : filled with or expressing great joy or excitement

high spirits

b. : intoxicated ; also : excited or stupefied by or as if by a drug

13. : articulated with some part of the tongue close to the palate

a high vowel

- high on

Synonyms:

high , tall , lofty mean above the average in height. high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level

a high hill

a high ceiling

tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness

a tall thin man

lofty suggests great or imposing altitude

lofty mountain peaks

II. adverb

Date: before 12th century

1. : at or to a high place, altitude, level, or degree

climbed high er

passions ran high

2. : well , luxuriously — often used in the phrases high off the hog and high on the hog

III. noun

Date: 13th century

1. : an elevated place or region: as

a. : hill , knoll

b. : the space overhead : sky — usually used with on

c. : heaven — usually used with on

2. : a region of high barometric pressure — called also anticyclone

3.

a. : a high point or level : height

sales reached a new high

b. : the transmission gear of a vehicle (as an automobile) giving the highest speed of travel

4.

a. : an excited, euphoric, or stupefied state produced by or as if by a drug

b. : a state of elation or high spirits

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.