Hobby
name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 An activity that one enjoys doing in one's spare time.
"I like to collect stamps from different countries as a hobby."
- 2 Any of four species of small falcons in the genus Falco, especially Falco subbuteo.
"He hawked – from nearby Esher, Richard Fox sent a servant with a hobby, which Henry received enthusiastically – and hunted, sending a present of freshly slaughtered deer to Princess Mary."
- 3 an auxiliary activity wordnet
- 4 An extinct breed of horse native to the British Isles, also known as the Irish Hobby.
- 5 small Old World falcon formerly trained and flown at small birds wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Synonym of hobby horse (“a favorite topic”).
""Well, I think East is right," said Arthur; "I can't see but what it's right to do the best you can, though it mayn't be the best absolutely. Every man isn't born to be a martyr." "Of course, of course," said East; "but he's on one of his pet hobbies. — How often have I told you, Tom, that you must drive a nail where it'll go.""
- 7 a child's plaything consisting of an imitation horse mounted on rockers; the child straddles it and pretends to ride wordnet
- 1 An English surname transferred from the given name.
Example
More examples"My hobby is to listen to music."
Etymology
Shortened from hobby-horse, from Middle English hoby, hobyn, hobin (“small horse, pony”), from Old French hobi, *haubi, haubby, hobin ("a nag, hobby"; > Modern French aubin, Italian ubino), of Germanic origin: from Old French hober, ober (“to stir, move”), from Old Dutch hobben (“to toss, move up and down”); or from North Germanic origin related to Danish hoppe (“a mare”), Old Swedish hoppa (“a young mare”), North Frisian hoppe (“horse”); both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *huppōną (“to hop”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewb- (“to bend; a bend, joint”). More at hop, hobble. The meaning of hobby-horse shifted from "small horse, pony" to "child's toy riding horse" to "favorite pastime or avocation" with the connecting notion being "activity that doesn't go anywhere". Possibly originally from a proper name for a horse, a diminutive of Robert or Robin (compare dobbin).
From Middle English hoby, hobeye, from Old French hobé, hobei, hobet, from Medieval Latin hopētus, diminutive of harpe.