hedge

Pronunciation: /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/

The English word “hedge” has 12 meanings listed here.

noun

A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden.
A barrier (often consisting of a line of persons or objects) to protect someone or something from harm.
A mound of earth, stone- or turf-faced, often topped with bushes, used as a fence between any two portions of land.
A noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement.
Contract or arrangement reducing one's exposure to risk (for example the risk of price movements or interest rate movements).
With indication of a person's upbringing, or professional activities, taking place by the side of the road; being third-rate, poor, shoddy.

verb

To enclose with a hedge or hedges.
To obstruct or surround.
To offset the risk associated with.
To avoid verbal commitment.
To construct or repair a hedge.
To reduce one's exposure to risk.

Etymology

From Middle English hegge, from Old English heċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *haggju, from Proto-Germanic *hagjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke. Doublet of hey (a choreographic figure) and quay. More at haw.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.