hip

B1 Topic:The Human Body

US /hɪp/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like heap /ɪ/ vs /iː/

Freq #4032

Meanings

1

noun
Either of the two parts of the body on each side, below the waist and above the legs.

She stood with her hands on her hips.
2

noun
The joint that connects the leg bone to the rest of the body.

My grandmother had an operation on her hip.
3

adj
Fashionable and up to date with the latest trends.

That new café is the hip place to be seen.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · the joint that connects the... hip joint

3 adj · fashionable and up to date... cooltrendy

Word family

Forms hips

Derived forms hip-flaskhip-grindinghip-huggership-shooterhip-shootinghip-shothipballhipbonehiphuggerhiphuggershiplesshiplike

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

hip socket
the cup-shaped part of the hip joint that holds the thigh bone's rounded head

Noun + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips

Simplified etymology

The word hip for the part of the body and the unrelated name of the rose fruit are both inherited from Old English and have cognates in other Germanic languages. Hip meaning “aware, well informed, or sophisticated” began as African American slang in the early 20th century, alongside the slightly earlier variant hep; its origin remains unknown.

Etymology

From Middle English hipe, hupe, from Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic *hupiz (compare Dutch heup, Low German Huop, German Hüfte), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (compare Welsh cysgu (“to sleep”), Latin cubāre (“to lie”), Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos, “hollow in the hips”), Albanian sup (“shoulder”), Sanskrit शुप्ति (śúpti, “shoulder”)), from *ḱew- (“to bend”). More at high. The sense "drug addict" derives from addicts lying on their hips while using certain drugs such as opium.

*ḱewb- Proto-Indo-European hipe Middle English hype Old English *hupiz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# hip

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /hɪp/
**Frequency rank:** 4032

## Meanings
1. Either of the two parts of the body on each side, below the waist and above the legs.
2. The joint that connects the leg bone to the rest of the body.
3. Fashionable and up to date with the latest trends.

## Examples
- She stood with her hands on her hips.
- My grandmother had an operation on her hip.
- That new café is the hip place to be seen.

## Derived Forms
- hip-flask
- hip-grinding
- hip-huggers
- hip-shooter
- hip-shooting
- hip-shot
- hipball
- hipbone
- hiphugger
- hiphuggers
- hipless
- hiplike

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ḱewb-
- Root: hipe
- Root: hype
- Root: *hupiz

## Etymology
From Middle English hipe, hupe, from Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic *hupiz (compare Dutch heup, Low German Huop, German Hüfte), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (compare Welsh cysgu (“to sleep”), Latin cubāre (“to lie”), Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos, “hollow in the hips”), Albanian sup (“shoulder”), Sanskrit शुप्ति (śúpti, “shoulder”)), from *ḱew- (“to bend”). More at high. The sense "drug addict" derives from addicts lying on their hips while using certain drugs such as opium.

## AI Etymology
Hip comes from Middle English hipe, hupe, from Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic *hupiz (compare Dutch heup, Low German Huop, German Hüfte), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (compare Welsh cysgu (“to sleep”), Latin cubāre (“to lie”), Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos, “hollow in the hips”), Albanian sup (“shoulder”), Sanskrit शुप्ति (śúpti, “shoulder”)), from *ḱew- (“to bend”). More at high. The sense "drug addict" derives from addicts lying on their hips while using certain drugs such as opium. In current use, the main senses are “Either of the two parts of the body on each side, below the waist and above the legs” and “The joint that connects the leg bone to the rest of the body”.

## Topics
- The Human Body

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hip