I. ˈhāz verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably back-formation from hazy
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to drizzle and fog
2. : to become hazy or cloudy
above the hotel the purple mountains hazed in the heat — William Sansom
transitive verb
: to make hazy : fog up : make dull or cloudy
the purple night smoking up from the western water and hazing the world — Marjory S. Douglas
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably back-formation from hazy
1.
a. : fine dust, salt particles, smoke, or particles of water finer and more scattered than those of fog causing lack of transparency of the air and making distant objects indistinct or invisible
the fine haze hanging lightly over the city and blurring its further outlines — Isolde Farrell
a fog is likely soon to disappear by evaporation, while a haze hangs on until washed out by rain, thinned by convection, or blown away by clear air — W.J.Humphreys
b. : a cloudy appearance in a transparent liquid or solid
c. : a dullness or cloudiness of finish (as on furniture) : bloom
2. : something suggesting atmospheric haze:
a. : something giving the impression of clouds or cloudiness in the air or to the view
the soft haze of thickets of oaks — American Guide Series: Texas
a haze of gnats danced under the bitten leaves — Elizabeth Taylor
a haze of greenery
b. : a state of mental dimness or obtuseness : haziness of mind or mental perception
c. : a state in which many things tend to merge and lose their separate identity
looking back through the haze of years — Allen Johnson
d. : a frame of mind vague or uncertain in its exact character but marked by strong generalized feeling dominating the reason
a haze of disbelief
in a haze of love
or a set of conditions producing such a frame of mind
its haze of wine and waltz — Frederic Morton
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. dialect England : to intimidate by physical punishment
2.
a. : to harass (as a ship's crew) by exacting unnecessary, disagreeable, or difficult work
b.
(1) : to harass or try to embarrass or disconcert by banter, ridicule, or criticism
began to brood under the roughhouse play and built up a sullen resentment against the men who were hazing him — D.P.Mannix
(2) : to subject (as a freshman or a fraternity pledge) to treatment intended to put in ridiculous or disconcerting positions
3. West
a. : to drive (animals) from horseback
cowboys hazed herds slowly up north along an old Indian trail — S.E.Fletcher
b. : to separate (animals from a group) from horseback
haze calves from a herd
— often used with out
haze out the dogies
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: origin unknown
dialect Britain : to season or mellow by drying in the sun