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hitch (hĭch)
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v. hitched, hitch·ing, hitch·es
v.tr.
1. To fasten, connect, or attach: hitched the horses to the sleigh.
2. To move or raise by pulling or jerking: hitch up one's pants.
3. Informal To get (a ride) by hitchhiking: hitched a ride to the rally.
4. Slang To marry: They got hitched last month.
v.intr.
1.
a. To move jerkily: "She hitched forward to make room for me on the seat" (Paul Theroux).
b. To move or walk haltingly: He hitched along on his painful ankle.
2. Informal To hitchhike.
n.
1. Any of various knots used to secure a line to another object such as a post or ring.
2. A device used to connect one thing to another: a trailer hitch.
3. A short jerking motion; a tug: answered with a hitch of her head.
4. A hobble or limp: a hitch in his step.
5. An impediment or a delay: a hitch in our plans.
6. A term of service, especially of military service.
7. Informal A free ride obtained along a road.
[Probably from Middle English hytchen, icchen, to move, jerk.]
hitcher n.
(click for a larger image)
hitch
top: clove hitch
center: cow hitch
bottom: two half hitches
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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