hessian
/'hesiən/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A coarse, strong fabric made from jute or hemp: "Hessian" primarily refers to a type of durable, woven cloth, often light brown in color, used for sacks, bags, and in crafts.
- (Historical) A soldier from Hesse, Germany: Historically, "Hessian" refers to a German mercenary soldier who fought for the British during the American Revolutionary War.
- (19th-century fashion) A man's high tasseled boot: In 19th-century fashion, a "Hessian" was a style of tall boot, often decorated with a tassel at the top.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Fabric):
- The gardener used a roll of hessian to protect the young trees from frost.
- She bought some natural hessian to make rustic table decorations.
- Noun (Historical Soldier):
- The British forces employed thousands of Hessians during the war.
- Noun (Boot):
- The gentleman's outfit was completed with a pair of polished Hessians.
Advanced Usage
- "Hessian sack": a bag made from hessian fabric.
- The potatoes were stored in a large hessian sack.
- "Hessian matrix": (Mathematics) a square matrix of second-order partial derivatives of a scalar-valued function. (Note: This is a specialized term named after mathematician Ludwig Otto Hesse, not directly from the common noun).
- The Hessian matrix is used in optimization problems to determine local minima and maxima.
Variants and Related Words
- Burlap (n): (chiefly North American) a synonym for hessian fabric.
- The burlap sack was rough to the touch.
- Gunny (n): another term for coarse sacking material, similar to hessian.
Synonyms
- For fabric: Burlap, sacking, jute cloth.
- For soldier: Mercenary (in the specific historical context).
- For boot: (Historical) Top boot, riding boot.
Related Phrases
- Hessian fly: (Entomology) a small fly () that is a destructive pest of wheat.
- The farmer was concerned about an infestation of Hessian fly.
Related Idioms
- None commonly associated with the base word "hessian."
Noun
- (19th century) a man's high tasseled boot