Etymology

hairy

H4A1I1R1Y4

Today it means: Having a lot of body hair. Full definition →

Middle English hery
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hairy · adjective1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromhery
  2. English todayhairy

From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.

hairy · noun2

From haircut + -y.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.