Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A fire hydrant.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An apparatus for drawing water directly from a main (particularly from a main in a street), consisting of a hollow cylinder provided with one or more nozles to which hose may be attached, or with a spout, or the like, and usually with a valve and pipe for the escape of the excess of water, in order to guard against freezing. The common form of a fire-hydrant is that of an upright pipe standing about two feet above the ground, as on the edge of a sidewalk, with a nozle to which the filling-hose or suction-pipe of a fire-engine can be attached. The valve is below, next to the main, and is so arranged that the closing of it opens the waste-pipe and frees the hydrant from water. See cut in preceding column.
Wiktionary
- n. An outlet from a liquid/fluid main often consisting of an upright pipe with a valve attached from which fluid (e.g. water or fuel) can be tapped.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A discharge pipe with a valve and spout at which water may be drawn from the mains of waterworks; a water plug.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a discharge pipe with a valve and spout at which water may be drawn from the mains of waterworks
- n. a faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask
Etymologies
- An irregular formation: hydr- + -ant. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“But to this day, "Puck," the 5-8, 210-pounder who was built like a fire hydrant, is remembered most for his big smile, down-to-earth relationship with the fans and love for the game.”
“He hit a fire hydrant, which isn't going to give, no matter how big a vehicle you have, and a tree.”
“In the canine world, a hydrant is a hydrant is a hydrant.”
“In his right hand he grasps a hose pipe, the end of which rests on the top of an imitation hydrant, which is placed on the top of the shield at his side.”
“The hydrant was the only water supply for the six hundred people whose houses touched the alley.”
“Stoughton Police Department Executive Officer Robert Devine said the company did not seek permission from the town DPW to use the fire hydrant, which is required under bylaws.”
“Since August, the list has seen the antedating of "hydrant" pushed back to 1801 from 1828, "hobo" to September 1888 (from only a month later), and "jamboree" (meaning "a large party") to 1858, back from 1861.”
“It consisted, as I have mentioned, in the combined pushing and pulling of a curiously primitive two-wheeled cart over a distance of perhaps three hundred yards to a kind of hydrant situated in a species of square upon which the mediaeval structure known as Porte (or Camp) de Triage faced stupidly and threateningly.”
“Not only that, but if you see a hydrant which is not working you can report it through the KML file ...”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘hydrant’.
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G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 346 more...
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Favorite Tangible Object Words
Trimming the "Chained Bear's Favorites" list so I don't crash people's computers... like my own...
castanets, whaup, budgie, wallabies, ring-wraith, hobbit, chinchilla, guano, merganser, phalarope, phalarope, curlew and 138 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, H
hurlyburly, hurtle, hodgepodge, heartwood, hatch, halo, hooptedoodle, hacienda, hairpin, heyday, hardscrabble, hopper and 208 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for hydrant.
reesetee Thanks for the note--duly noted. :-) I do like the phrase, but I feel sorry for the horses! Nov 30, 2007
chained_bear chained_bear notes that you might also like: horse storm. Nov 30, 2007
reesetee I must be reading all the wrong books. Nov 30, 2007
chained_bear "...The extraordinary thing about dogs afloat is that they exhibit a curious reticence to perform their bodily functions, no doubt confused by the alien surroundings and the total absence of familiar smells. It was not just scatological chic that saw installation on both the Normandie and the United States of a bogus hydrant in the midst of their elegant kennels. Helen Hayes' new poodle made an early wartime crossing on the Champlain and the dog's bowels became a matter of shipwide distraction. It wasn't until several days had passed that the concerned gallery that assembled for each exercise period had their vigilance rewarded." (John Maxstone-Graham, The Only Way to Cross, NY: Macmillan, 1972, p. 332) Nov 30, 2007