▪ I. † ha, n.1 Obs.
Short for ha-ha, a sunk fence.
| 1766 T. Amory Buncle (1770) III. 112 There was..a ditch like a ha to keep cattle out. Ibid. III. 149, I saw her..walking in the garden, near the ha. |
▪ II. ha, int. and n.2
(hɑː)
Also 5–6 hagh(e, 7 haugh, 8–9 hah.
[A natural exclamation found in Greek, Latin, most of the mod. Romanic, and all the mod. Teut. langs. The simple ha! is not recorded in OE. (which had however the ha ha! of laughter), but was used in OF., and is freq. in Eng. from c 1300.]
1. An exclamation expressing, according to the intonation, surprise, wonder, joy, suspicion, indignation, etc.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4218 Ha! quat þaa bestes war selcuth kene, þat has me refte mi derling dere. c 1320 R. Brunne Medit. 557 Ha, fals Iustyce! where fynst þou þat resun, So for to dampne an ynnocent man? c 1460 Towneley M. (Surtees) 63 Pr. Miles. A, my Lord! Pharao. Haghe! 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop i. ii, Ha knaue, why hast thou troubled and fowled my water? c 1489 ― Sonnes of Aymon i. 32 Ha, god, what a fayre knyghte is he. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. ii. i. 3 Ha? Let me see: I, giue it me, it's mine. 1596 ― 1 Hen. IV i. iii. 281 And then the power of Scotland, and of Yorke To ioyne with Mortimer, Ha. 1603 ― Meas. for M. ii. iv. 42 Ha? fie, these filthy vices. 1611 Florio, Hà..an Interiection of chiding, haugh [1598 hagh?], what? 1626 Massinger Roman Actor iv. i, Ha! come you resolved To be my executioners? c 1709 Prior 2nd Hymn Callimachus 1 Hah! how the laurel, great Apollo's tree, And all the cavern shakes! 1779 Sheridan Critic i. i, Ha! my dear Sneer, I am vastly glad to see you. 1819 Shelley Cenci iv. iv. 170 Ha! they will bind us to the rack. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. vi, ‘Good-night, Miss!’ said Lizzie Hexam, sorrowfully. ‘Hah! Good-night!’ returned Miss Abbey with a shake of her head. |
b. Sometimes doubled, or preceded or followed by other interjections; as ha ha!, a ha!, ah ha!, † ha a! (See also aha.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4917 Ha ha, traiturs, now wel is sene Queþer þat yee be fule or clene. Ibid. 9651 A ha! þat wreche wit-vten freind! c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 561 [They] cryden, out harrow and weylaway Ha, ha [v.r. a ha] the fox! c 1477 Caxton Jason 15 Ha a madame, what is this? 1598 Shakes. Merry W. ii. ii. 158 Ah, ha, Mistresse Ford and Mistresse Page, haue I encompass'd you? 1602 ― Ham. i. v. 150 Ah ha boy, sayest thou so? 1610 ― Temp. v. i. 263 Ha, ha: What things are these? |
c. Repeated, ha ha!, or oftener, ha ha ha! it represents laughter: see ha ha.
2. Used as an interjectional interrogative; esp. after a question; = eh 2. (Chiefly in Shakespeare.)
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. iii. 234 Q. M. Richard. Rich. Ha. Q.M. I call thee not. 1596 ― Merch. V. ii. v. 44 What saies that foole of Hagars off-spring? ha. 1604 Dekker Honest Wh. i. xii, Why doe I enter into bonds thus? ha! 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. ii. 61 Doe you put trickes vpon 's with Saluages, and Men of Inde? ha? |
3. An inarticulate vocal sound (hɜː or ɜː), expressing hesitation or interruption in speech. Often in collocation with hum.
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iii. iii. 284 Patr. Ioue blesse great Aiax. Ther. Hum. Patr. I come from the worthy Achilles. Ther. Ha? 1608 ― Per. v. i. 84 Mar. Hail, sir! my lord, lend ear. Per. Hum, ha! 1855 Dickens Dorrit i. xxxi, Laying down such—ha—such unnatural principles. Are you—ha—an Atheist? |
B. n.2 The interjection taken as a name for itself. Esp. as an expression of hesitation in the combination hums and ha's: see hum, also haw.
| 1610 B. Jonson Alch. iii. ii, You may be any thing, and leave off to make Long-winded exercises; or suck up Your ha, and hum, in a tune. 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d' Alf I. 115 Thou wouldst haue..given him an Ha, or a Nod. 1764 R. Lloyd Prol. to Colman's Jealous Wife, What hands had thunder'd at each Hah! and Oh! 1820 Shelley Œdipus i. 228 With a ha! and a hum! I come! I come! 1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk II. 66 A sort of sound, commendatory, like a hah! |
▪ III. ha, v.
(hɑː)
Also 9 hah.
[f. ha int.]
intr. To utter ‘ha!’ in hesitation. Chiefly in the combination to hum (hem) and ha: see hum v.
| 1604 Dekker Honest Wh. i. xi, He did not ha: neither hum, hem, nor ha, onely stared me in the face. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet ch. vii, The former ha'd, eh'd. |
▪ IV. ha, pron.
ME. form of he, heo she, hi they.
▪ V. ha, ha'
worn-down form of have v. q.v.