Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /'heɪ.zəl/

HAZEL

What does "HAZEL" mean?

A shrub or small tree bearing edible nuts, or the light golden-brown colour of its shells.

Meanings

  1. A temperate shrub or small tree of the genus Corylus, which produces hazelnuts. A row of hazel grew along the hedge.
  2. A light reddish or golden-brown colour, especially of eyes. Her eyes were a warm hazel.
  3. Of a light golden-brown colour. He had hazel eyes that shifted shade in the light.

Did you know?

  • Hazel is the classic wood of dowsing rods: for centuries water-witches have walked fields holding a forked hazel twig, trusting it to dip toward hidden springs.

Word origin

From Old English 'hæsel', from Proto-Germanic 'haslaz', related to Latin 'corulus'; the eye-colour sense derives from the nut's shell colour.

Remember it

HAZEL eyes catch the 'haze' of golden light - the colour hides right inside the word.

A little poem

Forked twig in the palm-
the dowser walks the dry field
trusting wood to point.

haiku

Wordplay

  • I asked the dowser why he uses hazel. He said it's the only branch that won't let him squirrel away the truth.

What it teaches

Hazel proves a colour can be named for a thing it merely resembles - we describe the world by borrowing.

Quick facts

What does HAZEL mean?

A shrub or small tree bearing edible nuts, or the light golden-brown colour of its shells.

Is HAZEL a valid word?

Yes — HAZEL is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is HAZEL?

HAZEL has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does HAZEL come from?

From Old English 'hæsel', from Proto-Germanic 'haslaz', related to Latin 'corulus'; the eye-colour sense derives from the nut's shell colour.

What can HAZEL teach us?

Hazel proves a colour can be named for a thing it merely resembles - we describe the world by borrowing.

How players do

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