hide

The skin of an animal.

Noun

  1. The skin of an animal.

    Synonyms: pelt skin

  2. The human skin.
    • O tiger's heart, wrapped in a woman's hide! - c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio),...
  3. One's own life or personal safety, especially when in peril.
    • to save his own hide
    • better watch his hide
    • The rotter who simpers that he sees no difference between the power of money and the power of the whip, ought to learn the difference on his own hide—as I think he will. - 1957, Ayn Rand, Francisco d'Anconia's speech in...

    Coordinate Terms: ass

  4. A covered structure from which hunters, birdwatchers, etc can observe animals without scaring them.
    • A Forest Trail and wild life hides lie 2 miles to the north-east. Blue hares, deer, wild geese, herons and duck can be discreetly observed from the hides. - 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd,...
  5. A secret room for hiding oneself or valuables; a hideaway.
    • In the early days of American settlement, hides were built into houses to provide protection from the Indians and to conceal merchandise from the threat of taxation or thievery. - 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls...
  6. A covered structure to which a pet animal can retreat, as is recommended for snakes.

Origin

From Middle English hyde, from Old English hȳd, from Proto-West Germanic *hūdi, from Proto-Germanic *hūdiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kéw(H)tis (“skin, hide”) (compare Latin cutis (“skin, rind, hide”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kew(H)- (“to cover”), ultimately the same root as the above etymology. More at sky. Cognates See also West Frisian hûd, Dutch huid, German Haut, Danish hud, Welsh cwd (“scrotum”), Latin cutis (“skin”), Lithuanian kutys (“purse, money-belt”), Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos, “hollow vessel”), σκῦτος (skûtos, “cover, hide”).

Forms

hides hyde

Derived

bird hide boarhide bring one's own hide to market calfhide carry one's own hide to market chap someone's hide cowhide damn your hide dragonhide greenhide green hide green-hide have someone's hide hidage hide beetle hide-bound hidebound hideless hideworker hideworking hidy hoghide horsehide moosehide

Noun historical

  1. A unit of land and tax assessment of varying size, originally as intended to support one household with dependents.
    • The exact size of hides varied with soil quality, but each one generally encompassed 24 to 26 hectares. - 2016, Peter H. Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire, Penguin, published 2017, page 488:

    Synonyms: carucate

Origin

From Middle English hide, from Old English hīd, hȳd, hīġed, hīġid (“a measure of land”), for earlier *hīwid (“the amount of land needed to support one family”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *hīwaz, *hīwō (“relative, fellow-lodger, family”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“to lie with, store, be familiar”). Related to Old English hīwisc (“hide of land, household”), Old English hīwan (“members of a family, household”). More at hewe, hind.

Forms

hides hyde

Hypernyms

barony

Hyponyms

virgate oxgang nook farundel

Derived

hidate hidation

Verb Entry 3

  1. To put (something) in a place where it will be out of sight or harder to discover.
    • He hides his magazines under the bed.
    • The father hid the gift behind him.
    • The politicians were accused of keeping information hidden from the public.

    Synonyms: conceal occult hide away secrete veil disguise bury

    Antonyms: disclose expose reveal show uncover visiblize visualize

  2. To put oneself in a place where one will be out of sight or harder to find.
    • Nonetheless, some insect prey take advantage of clutter by hiding in it. Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and...
    • Baby, I know places we won't be found, and They'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down 'Cause I, I know places we can hide I know places - 2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder, “I Know Places (Taylor's...

    Synonyms: go undercover hide away hide out lie low hole up

    Antonyms: reveal show

Origin

From Middle English hiden, huden, from Old English hȳdan (“to hide, conceal, preserve”), from Proto-West Germanic *huʀdijan (“to conceal”), from Proto-Germanic *huzdijaną (“to hoard”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewdʰ- (“to cover, wrap, encase”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover”). The verb was originally weak. In the King James Version of the Bible (1611), both hid and hidden are used for the past participle. Cognates Cognate with Dutch huiden, Low German (ver)hüden, (ver)hüen (“to hide, cover, conceal”), Welsh cuddio (“to hide”), Latin custōs, Ancient Greek κεύθω (keúthō, “to conceal”), Sanskrit कुहरम् (kuharam, “cave”). Related to hut and sky.

Forms

hides hiding hid hidden hyde

Derived

autohide hiddle hide-a-bed hideable hide-all hide and coop hide-and-die syndrome hide-and-go-seek hide and go seek hide and seek hide-and-seek hideaway hidebehind hide behind hide-hole hide in plain sight hide in the closet hideling hidelings hide nor hair hide one's light under a bushel hide-out hideout hide out

Verb Entry 4

  1. To beat with a whip made from hide.
    • He ran last week, and he was hided, and he was out on the day before yesterday, and here he is once more, and he knows he's got to run and to be hided again. - 1891, Robert Weir, J. Moray Brown, Riding:

Forms

hides hiding hided hyde