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hatch 2 (hăch)
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v. hatched, hatch·ing, hatch·es
v.intr.
1. To emerge from an egg or other structure that surrounds and protects an embryo.
2. To emerge from a cocoon or chrysalis.
3. To emerge from the water when transforming from an aquatic larval or pupal form to a winged form, as a mayfly or caddisfly.
v.tr.
1. To produce (young) from an egg or eggs.
2. To cause (an egg or eggs) to produce young.
3. To devise or originate, especially in secret: hatch an assassination plot.
n.
1.
a. The act or an instance of hatching from an egg or similar structure.
b. The act or an instance of emerging from a cocoon or chrysalis.
c. The act or an instance of emerging from the water when transforming from an aquatic larval or pupal form to a winged form.
2.
a. A group of young organisms, especially birds, that hatch at one time; a brood.
b. A group of adult insects that emerge at one time.
c. A group of winged insects, as mayflies or caddisflies, that emerge at one time from a body of water.
[Middle English hacchen, from Old English *hæccan.]
hatcher n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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