What is "hazing"

Haze \Haze\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hazed (h[=a]zd); p. pr. & vb. n. Hazing.] [Also hase.] [Cf. Sw. haza to hamstring, fr. has hough, OD. h[ae]ssen ham.]

1. To harass by exacting unnecessary, disagreeable, or difficult work.

2. To harass or annoy by playing abusive or shameful tricks upon; to humiliate by practical jokes; -- used esp. of college students, as an initiation rite into a fraternity or other group; as, the sophomores hazed a freshman.

brutal initiation of college freshmen, 1848, said to be a Harvard word ("This word is used at Harvard College, to express the treatment which Freshmen sometimes receive from the higher classes, and especially from the Sophomores" -- "Collection of College Words and Customs," Boston, 1851); see haze (v.).

n. (context US English) An initiation or behavior that involves humiliation, harassment or abuse, particularly in universities and in the military.

Hazing is the practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group.

Hazing is seen in many different types of social groups, including gangs, sports teams, schools, military units, and fraternities and sororities. The initiation rites can range from relatively benign pranks, to protracted patterns of behavior that rise to the level of abuse or criminal misconduct. Hazing is often prohibited by law and may comprise either physical or psychological abuse. It may also include nudity and/or sexually based offences.