I. ˈhamlə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French hamelet, diminutive of hamel, diminutive of ham, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English hām homeland, village, house — more at home
1. : a settlement that is smaller than a village
performances are being contemplated in cities, in towns, and even in hamlets — Joseph Wechsberg
2. : the smallest incorporated unit of municipal government
incorporation into a hamlet , the bottom rung of the municipal ladder — New York Times
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1.
a. : a large grouper ( Epinephelus striatus ) common from Florida to Brazil and in the Caribbean and important as a food fish — called also Nassau grouper
b. Bahamas : any young grouper
2. : a yellow and black thickly spotted moray ( Gymnothorax moringa ) used for food in the West Indies
III. noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: after Hamlet, chief character of the tragedy Hamlet (1600-1601) by William Shakespeare died 1616 English dramatist
: a brooding indecisive person
the very Hamlet of our age … a philosopher thrust into power at a time of violence — Michael Amrine
tortured by indecision, a Hamlet in politics — Newsweek