hammock

name

1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Spanish hamaca, from Taíno *hamaka (compare Lokono hamaka, Wayuu jama'a), from Proto-Arawak *hamaka. Columbus, in the narrative of his first voyage, says: “A great many Indians in canoes came to the ship to-day for the purpose of bartering their cotton, and hamacas, or nets, in which they sleep.”

1. A swinging couch or bed, usually made of netting or canvas about six feet (1.8 meters) wide, suspended by clews or cords at the ends.

   “[…] the poore ſaylers, who […] commonly get forthwith into their beds (or hamackoes) reſting their tyred bodies […]”

   “[W]ho vvould not rather Sleep Quietly upon a Hammock, vvithout either Cares in his Head, or Crudities in his Stomach, then lye Carking upon a Bed of State, vvith the Qualms and Tvvinges that accompany Surfeits and Exceſs?”

2. A piece of land thickly wooded, and usually covered with bushes and vines.

verb

Etymology: Borrowed from Spanish hamaca, from Taíno *hamaka (compare Lokono hamaka, Wayuu jama'a), from Proto-Arawak *hamaka. Columbus, in the narrative of his first voyage, says: “A great many Indians in canoes came to the ship to-day for the purpose of bartering their cotton, and hamacas, or nets, in which they sleep.”

1. To lie in a hammock.

   “"I fancied that we — I and who? — hammocked among the summer breezes."”

2. To hang in a way that resembles a hammock.

   “"She hammocked their plaids between the table and the bed, then edged her way past Kenneth as she approached the central hearth."”

3. To make something be wrapped tight, like in a hammock.

   “"She hammocked her breasts into her bra, snapped it, hitched at it, and gave herself a profile glance in the mirror."”

4. To schedule (a new or unpopular programme) between two popular ones in the hope that viewers will watch it.