The Collaborative International Dictionary
Hazel \Ha"zel\ (h[=a]"z'l), n. [OE. hasel, AS. h[ae]sel; akin to D. hazelaar, G. hazel, OHG. hasal, hasala, Icel. hasl, Dan & Sw. hassel, L. corylus, for cosylus.]
(Bot.) A shrub or small tree of the genus Corylus, as the Corylus avellana, bearing a nut containing a kernel of a mild, farinaceous taste; the filbert. The American species are Corylus Americana, which produces the common hazelnut, and Corylus rostrata. See Filbert.
--Gray.-
A miner's name for freestone.
--Raymond.Hazel earth, soil suitable for the hazel; a fertile loam.
Hazel grouse (Zo["o]l.), a European grouse ( Bonasa betulina), allied to the American ruffed grouse.
Hazel hoe, a kind of grub hoe.
Witch hazel. See Witch-hazel, and Hamamelis.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1540s, probably from Old English wice "Applied generally or vaguely to various trees having pliant branches" [OED], from wican "to bend," related to weak (see vicarious) + hæsel, used for any bush of the pine family (see hazel (n.)). The North American bush, from which a soothing lotion is made, was so called from 1670s. This is the source of the verb witch in dowsing.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context countable English) Any of several small deciduous trees, of the genus ''Hamamelis'', having yellow flowers 2 # (context US English) ''Hamamelis virginiana'' (eastern North America) 3 # (context US English) (taxlink Hamamelis vernalis species noshow=1) (Ozarks). 4 (context uncountable English) An extract of the bark and/or leaf of this plant, used as an astringent
WordNet
n. any of several shrubs or trees of the genus Hamamelis; bark yields an astringent lotion [syn: wych hazel]
lotion consisting of an astringent alcoholic solution containing an extract from the witch hazel plant [syn: wych hazel]
Wikipedia
Witch Hazel is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Disney, MGM, Famous Studios, and the comic book Little Lulu also had characters named Witch Hazel, and Rembrandt Films had one named Hazel Witch. This article is chiefly concerned with the character who appeared in Warner Bros. films.
Witch hazel may refer to:
- Buttercup witch hazel, Corylopsis pauciflora, a spring-flowering shrub
- Witch-hazel (Hamamelis), a genus of flowering shrubs
- Witch hazel (astringent), an astringent topical medicine derived from the Hamamelis plant
- Witch Hazel (Disney), a Disney cartoon and comics character
- Witch Hazel (Looney Tunes), a Looney Tunes cartoon character
- Witch Hazel, Oregon, United States, an unincorporated community
- Witch Hazel Sound, chamber pop band also known as Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is an astringent anti-inflammatory compound, produced from the leaves and bark of the North American Witch-hazel shrub (Hamamelis virginiana). It is a component of many commercial healthcare products.
Usage examples of "witch hazel".
I reached into my pocket for my trusty penknife, and led the giggling boy into a witch hazel thicket to select a suitable forked stick.
Crook and I served the supper while Jenny bathed Ian's face with witch hazel and made anxious inquiries about other injuries.
He had found what he thought was Boiling Creek, and had ridden up the bank for miles, dodging--or not---overhanging branches, bramble patches, and thickets of witch hazel, but hadn't found a sign of anything larger than a fox that had slipped across his path, disappearing into the brush like a flame suddenly extinguished.
Inside she found comfrey, woundheal, lily of the valley, cowslip, barberry, witch hazel and willow.
The village witch, Ivy, had smeared an ointment of witch hazel and heal-all on the lesser burns, but had not touched the right side of the face and head and the right hand, which had been charred to the bone.
Her body had been cleaned and massaged with fragrant oils, the chilblains on her face washed with witch hazel, and the cuts and frost sores dressed with purified fox grease and native moss.
The trees were tall here, thirty meters or more, but widely enough spaced that patches of underbrush flourished, spiny thorn and witch hazel.
She laughed, a perfect (and perfectly grating) Witch Hazel cackle.
Her head was still sore to the touch, but Sosia's witch hazel had soothed the bruise.
The magic fog they generate obscures vision, making it impossible to tell witch hazel is witch.