# hoary

> English word · Adjective · IPA /hɔː.ɹi/ · frequency rank #67,505

## Definitions
1. White, whitish, or greyish-white.
2. White or grey with age.
3. Of a pale silvery grey.
4. Covered with short, dense, greyish white hairs.
5. Old or old-fashioned; trite.
6. Remote in time past.
7. Moldy; mossy; musty.

## Etymology
Possibly from Middle English *hori (suggested by horilocket (“hoary-locked, having hoary locks or curls”)), equivalent to hoar + -y. Alternatively, Middle English horilocket may represent Middle English hor (“hoar, hoary”) + ilocket (“locked”) rather than hori (“hoary”) + locket (“locked”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hoary