The skin of an animal.
"The old estate was valued in hides for centuries before it was subdivided into smaller farms for the growing population."
A unit of land and tax assessment of varying size, originally as intended to support one household with dependents.
In plain English: A hide is the thick skin of an animal, especially one that has been processed to make leather.
"I couldn't find my favorite hiding spot in the tall grass."
Usage: The noun hide refers to an old unit of land measurement used primarily in Ireland and Scotland. It historically represented the amount of ground needed to support a single family and is rarely used in modern contexts outside of historical discussions or specific local place names.
make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
"a hidden message"
"a veiled threat"
To put (something) in a place where it will be harder to discover or out of sight.
"The old cowboy used to hide his unruly mule whenever it refused to walk through the muddy field."
To beat with a whip made from hide.
In plain English: To hide means to put something somewhere so no one else can see it.
"The cat hid under the sofa when I walked into the room."
Usage: As a verb, hide means to conceal something or someone so it cannot be seen. Do not use this word to describe beating someone with a whip, which is a specific and unrelated historical action involving animal skin.
The word "hide" comes from Old English, where it meant to conceal or preserve something. It traveled into modern English through Middle English while retaining its original sense of covering or wrapping up an object.