hammock

Meaning

Noun

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

Verb

1. To lie in a hammock.
2. To hang in a way that resembles a hammock.
3. To make something be wrapped tight, like in a hammock.
4. To schedule (a new or unpopular programme) between two popular ones in the hope that viewers will watch it.

Synonyms

swing

cradle

mound

sack

hillock

hummock

knoll

stretcher

bunk

suspended cradle

crib

net

seesaw

trap

🪤

tussock

us

🇺🇸

bed

🛏️

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhæmək/

Etymology

Cognate with Arawak: hamaka

Cognate with Wayuu: jama'a

In summary

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.”