Home US English haet

Definition of haet in English:

haet

Pronunciation /heɪt/

noun

Scottish, Irish

  • 1"devil (also fiend) a (also the) haet": not a whit, nothing at all.

  • 2"damn the haet" (formerly also "†damned haet"): nothing at all.

  • 3Chiefly in negative contexts: a whit, a jot; the least thing; a small quantity.

Origin

Early 18th century. From hae't, misapprehended as a noun, probably after phrases like the devil a bit, the devil a whit.