different between callow vs harebrained

English

Etymology

From Middle English calwe (“bald”), from Old English calu (“callow, bare, bald”), from Proto-Germanic *kalwaz (“bare, naked, bald”), from Proto-Indo-European gel(H)wo- (“naked, bald”). Cognate with West Frisian keal (“bald”), Dutch kaal (“bald”), German kahl (“bald”), Russian ?????? (gólyj, “nude”), Latin calvus (“bald”), Persian ??? (kal), Sanskrit ????? (kulvá).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?kælo?/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?kal??/
• Rhymes: -æl??

Adjective

callow (comparative callower or more callow, superlative callowest or most callow)

1. Unfledged (of a young bird).
2. (by extension) Immature, lacking in life experience.

   Antonyms: mature, experienced
3. Lacking color or firmness (of some kinds of insects or other arthropods, such as spiders, just after ecdysis); teneral.
4. Shallow or weak-willed.
5. (of a brick) Unburnt.
6. Of land: low-lying and liable to be submerged.
7. (obsolete) Bald.

Translations

Noun

callow (countable and uncountable, plural callows)

1. A callow young bird.
2. A callow or teneral phase of an insect or other arthropod, typically shortly after ecdysis, while the skin still is hardening, the colours have not yet become stable, and as a rule, before the animal is able to move effectively.
3. An alluvial flat.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “callow”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• low-cal

English

Alternative forms

• harebrain
• hare-brained

Etymology

hare +? brained

Adjective

harebrained (comparative more harebrained, superlative most harebrained)

1. (of an idea or plan etc) Absurd, foolish or stupid.
   • 2008, Sarah McCarty, Promises Reveal, Penguin (?ISBN)

     “Now why do I get the feeling we're not talking about the harebrained plan you came up with?” “It wasn't harebrained.” “Did it have you going within twenty feet of a whorehouse at night, unchaperoned?” He knew darn well it did.

2. (of a person) Frivolous and silly; featherbrained or scatterbrained.

Translations