hairbreadth

English

Etymology

From hair +‎ breadth.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹˌbɹɛdθ/

Noun

hairbreadth (plural hairbreadths)

1. Alternative form of hair's breadth: the width of a hair, a very short distance or a very small amount.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     In short, these kind of hairbreadth missings of happiness look like the insults of Fortune, who may be considered as thus playing tricks with us, and wantonly diverting herself at our expense.

   • 1799, Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Huntly:

     This surely was a day destined to be signalized by hairbreadth escapes.

   • 1856, [William] Wilkie Collins, “Gabriel's Marriage”, in After Dark, volume II, London: Smith, Elder & Co., →OCLC, page 107:

     His hairbreadth escapes from death; […] .

   • 1876, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 17, in Rose in Bloom […] ‎^[1]:

     […] for the young hero rioted by day, howled by night, ravaged the house from top to bottom, and kept his guardians in a series of panics by his hairbreadth escapes.

   • 2024 July 20, Ross Douthat, “How Trump Sabotaged His Own Apotheosis”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     The hairbreadth survival of the attempted assassination.