What is "hash"

octothorp \oc"to*thorp\, octothorpe \oc"to*thorpe\, n. [octo- eight + thorp Etymology of thorp uncertain. (ca. 1965). See quote below. Possibly derived from octalthorpe or octotherp (once used by the Bell System?).] A typographic symbol (#) having two vertical lines intersected by two horizontal lines. It is also called the crosshatch, hash, numeral sign and number sign; in the U. S. it is commonly called the pound sign, especially to designate the symbol as used on digital telephone dials, but this can be confusing to Europeans who think of the pound sign as the symbol for the British pound. It is commonly used as a symbol for the word number; as in #36 (meaning: number thirty-six).

octothorp Otherwise known as the numeral sign. It has also been used as a symbol for the pound avoirdupois, but this usage is now archaic. In cartography, it is also a symbol for village: eight fields around a central square, and this is the source of its name. Octothorp means eight fields.
--Robert Bringhurst (The Elements of Typographic Style (2d edition, 1996), Hartley & Marks, Publishers, Point Roberts, WA; Vancouver, BC, Canada, p. 282)

1650s, "to hack, chop into small pieces," from French hacher "chop up," from Old French hache "ax" (see hatchet). Hash browns is short for hash browned potatoes (1917), with the -ed omitted, as in mash potatoes. The hash marks on a football field were so called 1960s, from similarity to hash marks, armed forces slang for "service stripes on the sleeve of a military uniform" (1909), which supposedly were called that because they mark the number of years one has had free food ( hash (n.1)) from the Army; but perhaps there is a connection with the noun form of hatch (v.2).

short for hashish, 1959.

"a stew," 1660s, from hash (v.). Meaning "a mix, a mess" is from 1735.

Etymology 1

1. Hashed, chopped into small pieces n. 1 food, especially meat and potatoes, chopped and mixed together. Image:Corn-beef-hash.jpg 2 A confused mess. 3 The (unsupported: #) symbol (octothorpe, pound). 4 (context computing English) The result generated by a hash function. 5 A new mixture of old material; a second preparation or exhibition; a rehashing. 6 A hash run; a sort of paperchase organised by the (w: Hash House Harriers). v

2. 1 (context transitive English) To chop into small pieces, to make into a hash. 2 To make a quick, rough version 3 (context computing transitive English) To transform according to a hash function. Etymology 2

   n. hashish, a drug derived from the cannabis plant.

1. n. chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned

2. purified resinous extract of the hemp plant; used as a hallucinogen [syn: hashish, hasheesh, haschisch]

v. chop up; "hash the potatoes"

Hash, hashes, hash mark or hashing may refer to:

Hash is a dish consisting of diced or chopped meat, potatoes, and spices that are mixed together and then cooked either alone or with other ingredients such as onions. The name is derived from the French verb hacher (to chop).

Corned beef hash became especially popular in some countries including in Britain and France during and after World War II as rationing limited the availability of fresh meat.

In many locations, hash is served primarily as a breakfast food on restaurant menus and as home cuisine, often served with eggs and toast (or biscuits(US) or Bun/Bap/Barmcake (UK)), and occasionally fried potatoes ( hash browns, home fries, etc.). The dish may also use corned beef or roast beef.

Hash has recently made a comeback as more than just a dish for leftovers or breakfasts of last resort. High-end restaurants now offer sophisticated hashes and the first cookbook dedicated exclusively to a wide variety of hashes was self-published in 2012.

hash is a Unix command that prints the location information for the commands found.