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hazel
1[ hey-zuhl ]
noun
- any shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Corylus, of the birch family, having toothed, ovate leaves and bearing edible nuts, as C. avellana, of Europe, or C. americana and C. cornuta, of the Western Hemisphere.
- any of several other shrubs or trees, as an Australian shrub, Pomaderris apetala.
- the wood of any of these trees.
- the hazelnut or filbert.
- light golden brown, as the color of a hazelnut.
adjective
- of or relating to the hazel.
- made of the wood of the hazel.
- having a light golden-brown color.
Hazel
2[ hey-zuhl ]
noun
- a female given name.
hazel
/ ˈheɪzəl /
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Other Words From
- hazel·ly adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of hazel1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of hazel1
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Example Sentences
A decade into her stay in this sterile, creepily scentless place, everything from Hazel’s food intake to her sexual response has been quantified.
What he means is that he’s invented a device that will merge his consciousness with Hazel’s.
Those plants included hazel shrubs, one of which appears just behind the Neandertal male, who is munching on a hazelnut.
On the other hand, since Perdue is an incumbent, Hazel’s votes might be considered more of an “anti-incumbent” vote, which would then favor Ossoff.
She was funny and brash, very New York and somewhere between Lucy and Hazel.
His hazel eyes actually glimmer and his brown hair, barely beginning to salt and pepper, curls up around a Seattle Seahawks cap.
Never have two people been more in love than Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster, and now one of them is about to die.
Gus asks Hazel to speak at his eventual funeral, but decides he wants to hear what she has to say first.
The movie ends with Hazel actually happy—she made the choice to be in love with Gus, and she likes that choice.
In Fault, Hazel is very fixated on meeting her idol, author Peter van Houten.
Her hazel eyes were very round for a moment, then they narrowed, and little humorous lines formed at the corners of her lips.
He halted too, and turned to her, studying her gentle face, seeking to guess her mind in the clear hazel eyes she raised to his.
She had bright auburn hair, dark hazel eyes, a fair complexion, and a "dimpled chin."
The seeds resemble in size and taste those of the hazel; and the roots, when cooked, are said to taste like artichokes.
She had dark brown hair coming in bangs to the eyebrows, and her eyes were gold-hazel.
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About This Word
What color are hazel eyes?
Opinions vary on what, exactly, constitutes hazel eyes. Some consider them to be any shade with light brown or gold tones; others think they are a variation of brown eyes, only with more green or gold in the iris.
Where did the term hazel eyes come from?
We’ll never know who the first person who had hazel eyes was, but if they were around today, they would join 5–8% of the world’s population that claims the color.
The term hazel comes from the color of a hazelnut and is recorded describing eyes as early as the 1690s. Whatever the precise shade of hazel is, scientists agree that hazel eyes are caused by light-scattering and melanin. Many online tutorials and makeup products can help you make those coveted, rare hazel eyes pop—much to the envy of others.
How to use the term hazel eyes
Hazel eyes are used to describe the eye color of mostly white populations where there is a mix of people with blue, green, and brown eyes, upping the genetic chance for hazel eyes to occur. However, people of other races have also flashed some hazel-colored peepers, supermodel Tyra Banks is one of the more notable examples.
Another famous holder of hazel eyes would be first-ever American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson. In 2004, she released the single “Behind These Hazel Eyes.” In the chorus, she sings: “…you won’t get to see the tears I cry / Behind these hazel eyes”
The anthem, which details Clarkson’s tormented heart after breaking up with her boyfriend, remained on the Billboard Top Ten for 15 weeks, and is a personal favorite of the singer herself and a tearjerker for her many fans. As Clarkson said in 2005, “Crappy relationships [make for] a good song.”
More examples of hazel eyes:
“Even the graphic designers at Almay can’t seem to settle on a single definition of hazel. Their i-color eyeshadows for hazel eyes are calibrated for golden brown “honeyed hazel.” This is the color they use on their packaging, too. But the display in my drugstore shows a green-brown iris!”
—Kat S, xoJane, June 2015
Note
This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.
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