hairy

Hairy is an adjective used to describe something that is covered with hair, fur, or contains hairlike fibers. It can refer to animals or people with noticeable body hair, or to objects with a hairlike texture. The term is also used figuratively to describe dangerous or complicated situations, such as a hairy moment.

In biological terms, hair is produced by follicles in the skin. The visible hair shaft is keratinous and extends from the hair bulb. Growth occurs in cycles: anagen (growth), catagen (transitional), and telogen (rest). Hair density and length vary widely among individuals and species due to genetics, hormones, age, and environment. Hair serves multiple roles, including thermoregulation, protection against physical injury and UV radiation, sensory input via follicle receptors, and, in some species, social or sexual signaling.

Related terms include pilosity, which describes the amount and distribution of hair on an animal, pilose (hairy), and hirsute (hairy, especially on the face). Medical terms include hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth over the body) and hirsutism (excessive hair growth in androgen-sensitive areas in females). Hair patterns can differ among human populations and may be influenced by ethnicity and hormonal status.

In zoology and paleontology, pilosity is used to describe fur density in species. In everyday language, hairy remains a common, nontechnical descriptor for both biological and metaphorical contexts.