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hairlineAn extremely thin line or crack; also refers to the edge where hair grows on the head. It describes something so fine it resembles the width of a hair.

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: An extremely thin line or crack; also refers to the edge where hair grows on the head. It describes something so fine it resembles the width of a hair.

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈhɛrlaɪn/

Example Sentences

  • The detective noticed a hairline scratch on the window that revealed how the burglar entered.
  • My dad's hairline is retreating faster than his army days!
  • The surgeon made a hairline incision that was barely visible.

hairline

NOUN

[/ˈhɛrlaɪn/]

An extremely thin line or crack; also refers to the edge where hair grows on the head. It describes something so fine it resembles the width of a hair.

An extremely thin line or crack; also refers to the edge where hair grows on the head. It describes something so fine it resembles the width of a hair.
💡 Concept

An extremely thin line or crack; also refers to the edge where hair grows on the head. It describes something so fine it resembles the width of a hair.

A hairline crack reveals the mainline pipeline!
🎵 Rhyme

A hairline crack reveals the mainline pipeline!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈhɛrlaɪn/

🌳Etymology

Roothair
Suffix-line

Origin

From Middle English, combining 'hair' (from Old English hǣr) and 'line' (from Old English līne, ultimately from Latin linea meaning thread or string). Originally referred to the edge where hair grows on the forehead, then extended to mean anything as thin as a hair.

Breakdown

hair (thin strand growing from skin) + line (boundary or thin mark) = hairline (very thin line or the edge where hair meets forehead)

🎵Rhyme

airlineoutlinedecline

📝Examples

The detective noticed a hairline scratch on the window that revealed how the burglar entered.

😄 Fun example

My dad's hairline is retreating faster than his army days!

The surgeon made a hairline incision that was barely visible.

😄 Fun example

She won the race by a hairline margin - literally by a hair!

📚Related Words

Synonyms

thin linefine crackdelicate markslender tracenarrow fissure

Antonyms

thick linewide crack

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