haggard

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhæɡ.ɚd/; /ˈhæɡ.əd/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French hagard (“wild”),^[2][3][4] from Old French, “wild hawk”,^[2][3] perhaps of Germanic origin.^[2][3] Etymonline cites a derivation from Middle High German hag “hedge, wood”, though the OED finds this very doubtful.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In falconry it first described a hawk caught wild after gaining its adult plumage, hence wild or untamed.^[5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

From the untamed hawk the word was applied to the wild look of a person’s eyes, by the 1690s,^[3][5] and then to the gaunt, worn look caused by suffering, anxiety or age;^[5][3] Etymonline dates “careworn” to 1853.^[3] The later sense was perhaps reinforced by association with hag.^[3][5]

Timeline

• 1560s – of a hawk, wild;^[3] Merriam-Webster and the OED date it 1567.^[4][5]
• 1605 – wild-looking, of a person.^[5]
• 1630 – gaunt, half-starved (obsolete).^[5]
• 1853 – careworn.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Looking worn, gaunt or exhausted.
2. Wild or distraught in appearance.
3. (falconry) Of a hawk, wild and untamed.

Noun

1. (falconry) A hawk caught as an adult.

Word family

• haggardly
• haggardness

References

1. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] [3] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press