Hay

Hay, hā, n. grass cut down and dried for fodder.—ns. Hay′cock, a conical pile of hay in the field; Hay′-fē′ver, an ailment mostly met with in early summer, marked by excessive irritation of the nose, throat, &c., and accompanied with violent sneezing and intense headache—also called Hay′-asth′ma; Hay′field, a field where hay is made; Hay′-fork, a long-handled fork used in turning over hay to dry, or in lifting it; Hay′-knife, a broad knife, with a handle set cross-wise at one end, used for cutting hay from a stack; Hay′-loft, a loft in which hay is kept; Hay′-mak′er, one employed in cutting and drying grass for hay: (pl.) a kind of country-dance; Hay′-mak′ing; Hay′-mow, a rick of hay: a mass of hay stored in a barn; Hay′-rick, a pile of hay; Hay′-stack, a stack of hay; Hay′-ted′der, a machine for scattering hay and exposing it to the sun and air.—Look for a needle in a hay-stack, to look for something where it is barely possible to be found; Make hay, to throw things into confusion; Make hay while the sun shines, to seize a favourable opportunity. [A.S. híeg, híg, hég; Ger. heu, Dut. hooï, Ice. hey.]