hang

Etymology 1

From Middle English hangen, hongen, from a fusion of Old English hōn (“to hang, be hanging”, intransitive verb) and hangian (“to hang, cause to hang”, transitive verb), from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han and *hangēn; also probably influenced by Old Norse hengja (“to suspend”) and hanga (“to be suspended”); all from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną, *hangāną (compare Dutch hangen, Low German hangen and hängen, German hängen, Norwegian Bokmål henge, Norwegian Nynorsk henga), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱenk- (“to waver, be in suspense”) (compare Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (hāhan), Hittite 𒂵𒀀𒀭𒂵 (/⁠kānk-⁠/, “to hang”), Sanskrit शङ्कते (śáṅkate, “is in doubt, hesitates”), Latin cūnctārī (“to delay”)).

verb

1. (intransitive) To be or remain suspended.
   The lights hung from the ceiling.
2. (intransitive) To float, as if suspended.
   The smoke hung in the room.
3. (intransitive) To veer in one direction.
   The jockey claimed that the horse hung towards the outside 1979, New South Wales law reports, page 16
4. (intransitive, of a ball in cricket, tennis, etc.) To rebound unexpectedly or unusually slowly, due to backward spin on the ball or imperfections of the ground.
5. (transitive) To hold or bear in a suspended or inclined manner or position instead of erect.
   He hung his head in shame.
6. (transitive) To cause (something) to be suspended, as from a hook, hanger, hinges, or the like.
   Hang those lights from the ceiling.
   to hang a door
   It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
7. (transitive, law) To kill (someone) by suspension from the neck, usually as a form of execution or suicide.
   The culprits were hanged from the nearest tree.
   '… There's every Staffordshire crime-piece ever made in this cabinet, and that's unique. The Van Hoyer Museum in New York hasn't that very rare second version of Maria Marten's Red Barn over there, nor the little Frederick George Manning—he was the criminal Dickens saw hanged on the roof of the gaol in Horsemonger Lane, by the way—' 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess
   As things go from bad to worse for Putin in his maniacal, murderous attack on Ukraine, he could end up like Milosevic, or worse. The court could change its rules and hang him, the way the Allies hanged Nazi war criminals at the end of World War II. 10 March 2022, Peter Lucas, “Lucas: Putin has blood on his hands and The Hague must make him pay”, in Boston Herald, archived from the original on 2022-08-06
8. (intransitive, law) To be executed by suspension by one's neck from a gallows, a tree, or other raised bar, attached by a rope tied into a noose.
   You will hang for this, my friend.
9. (transitive, informal) (used in maledictions) To damn.
   [H]e suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said "Bother!" and "Oh blow!" and also "Hang spring-cleaning!" and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, London: Wordsworth Classics, published 1993, page 11
10. (intransitive, informal) To loiter; to hang around; to spend time idly.
    I didn't see anything, officer. I was just hanging.
    He banned spearfishing wherever he could, started the first eco-moorings in the Caribbean, stopped others from coral- and shell-collecting, and had so much fun 24/7 that some unusually powerful people began to hang with him. 2006, Scuba Diving, numbers 1-6, page 49
11. (transitive) To exhibit (an object) by hanging.
12. (transitive) To apply (wallpaper or drywall to a wall).
    Let's hang this cute animal design in the nursery.
13. (transitive) To decorate (something) with hanging objects.
    Let's hang the nursery with some new wallpaper.
14. (intransitive, figurative) To remain persistently in one's thoughts.
15. (transitive) To prevent from reaching a decision, especially by refusing to join in a verdict that must be unanimous.
    One obstinate juror can hang a jury.
16. (intransitive, computing) To stop responding to manual input devices such as the keyboard and mouse.
    The computer has hung again. Not even pressing ++ works.
    When I push this button the program hangs.
17. (transitive, computing) To cause (a program or computer) to stop responding.
    The program has a bug that can hang the system.
18. (transitive, chess) To cause (a piece) to become vulnerable to capture.
    If you move there, you'll hang your rook.
19. (intransitive, chess) To be vulnerable to capture.
    In this standard opening position White has to be careful because the pawn on e4 hangs.
20. (transitive, baseball, slang, of a pitcher) To throw a hittable off-speed pitch.
    McDougald then singled, and with a 3-2 count on Ellie Howard who was playing first base, Spahn hung a curve ball and Howard hit it over the wire fence in left field for a 4-4 tie. 2010, Peter Golenbock, Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964, page 409
21. (transitive, figurative) To attach or cause to stick (a charge or accusation, etc.).
    There were no whisperings, even from his opponents, that he was no better than he ought to be. Because, there was nothing wrong on which to hang a charge. As an eloquent orator, he carried with him the firm support of a good name. 1848, The American Pulpit, volume 3, page 120
    Papa had wanted to call me Beverly Mary; Mary after the Blessed Virgin. Mama said she wouldn't hang a name like Beverly Mary on a pet skunk. 1989, Faith Sullivan, The Cape Ann, Penguin, published 1989, page 2

noun

1. The way in which something hangs.
   This skirt has a nice hang.
2. A mass of hanging material.
   They advanced in a crouch, dropping to their knees every few yards to pass under a hang of rock. 2014, Matthew Jobin, The Nethergrim, volume 1
   “I don't see the hang of so much talky-talky,” broke in Uncle Sam. “We've heard all that can be said about things, […] 1911, Alexander MacDonald, The Invisible Island: A Story of the Far North of Queensland, page 105
3. A slackening of motion.
4. A sharp or steep declivity or slope.
5. (computing) An instance of ceasing to respond to input.
   We sometimes get system hangs.
6. (informal, figurative) A grip, understanding.
7. (colloquial)
   1. The smallest amount of concern or consideration; a damn.
      I don't give a hang.
      They don't seem to care a hang about the consequences.
   2. A hangout.
      My first day was a fun hang, but I didn't really do too much. Me and stupid Bob just hung around the casino looking at box and losing money. 2008, Jim Norton, Happy Endings, Gallery Books, page 25
      So how can you set up a hang within a 90-minute time-frame for yourself? Be clear with your friends about timing from the get-go, so they, too, can decide if it's worth their time to even meet up. 2021-04-14, Jen Kirsch, “A Good Hang Lasts No More Than 90 Minutes”, in InStyle
      He invited us over to his beautiful heritage home in downtown Toronto for a hang. 2021-10-27, Danielle McTaggart (quoted), Chelsea Brimstin, “Dear Rouge share sentimental video for delicate new single 'Life Goes By And I Can’t Keep Up'”, in Indie88
   3. A person that someone hangs out with.
      She might announce something to everyone that makes no sense or tells a story that rambles on and on and makes no point. But for some reason nobody seems to mind. We all just like to listen to The Airhead. She's a fun hang. 2004, Relient K, Mark Nichols, The Complex Infrastructure Known as the Female Mind, Thomas Nelson, page 76
      "I couldn't sit down and play a concert for you or really wow you on any instrument," Mr. Blanco said, estimating that "like 75 percent" of his success comes from being a good hang. "What I can do is meet an artist, know what type of song I think we should make and be their therapist, make everyone feel comfortable." 2018-07-18, Joe Coscarelli, “How Benny Blanco Became the Most Popular Oddball in Pop Music”, in New York Times
      And maaaaaaaybe Superman would be a good hang, though I suspect that'd be a lot like hanging out with a youth pastor. 2019, Shea Serrano, Arturo Torres, Movies (And Other Things), Grand Central Publishing

Etymology 2

From hang sangwich, Irish colloquial pronunciation of ham sandwich.

noun

1. (Ireland, informal, derogatory) Cheap processed ham (cured pork), often made specially for sandwiches.

Etymology 3

noun

1. Alternative spelling of Hang (“musical instrument”)