hazy

Definition

Thick or obscured with haze.

Etymology

From earlier hawsey (1625), a nautical term of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle English *hasi, *haswy, from Old English haswiġ (“grey; ashen; dusky”), from Old English hasu (“dusky; grey; ashen”), from Proto-Germanic *haswaz (“grey”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₂s- (“bright grey”). By surface analysis, haze + -y; although Modern English haze is more likely a back-formation of hazy.

Example Sentences

• "a hazy view of the polluted city street"
• "Furthermore, kymographic pictures are hazy and sometimes distorted, while the pictures obtained by diagraphy are sharp and unobstructed."
• "a hazy argument"