harebrained – definition of harebrained by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

hare·brained (hârbrnd)

adj.

Foolish; flighty: a harebrained scheme.

Usage Note: The first use of harebrained dates to 1548. The spelling hairbrained also has a long history, going back to the 1500s when hair was a variant spelling of hare. The hair variant was preserved in Scotland into the 18th century, and as a result it is impossible to tell exactly when people began writing hairbrained in the belief that the word means “having a hair-sized brain” rather than “with no more sense than a hare.” While hairbrained continues to be used and confused, it should be avoided in favor of harebrained which has been established as the correct spelling.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

harebrained, hairbrained [ˈhɛəˌbreɪnd]

adj

rash, foolish, or badly thought out harebrained schemes

via harebrained – definition of harebrained by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia..