hoop

n. [ OE. hope; akin to D. hoep, hoepel. ] 1. A pliant strip of wood or metal bent in a circular form, and united at the ends, for holding together the staves of casks, tubs, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A ring; a circular band; anything resembling a hoop, as the cylinder (cheese hoop) in which the curd is pressed in making cheese. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A circle, or combination of circles, of thin whalebone, metal, or other elastic material, used for expanding the skirts of ladies' dresses; crinoline; -- used chiefly in the plural. [ 1913 Webster ]

Though stiff with hoops, and armed with ribs of whale. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A quart pot; -- so called because originally bound with hoops, like a barrel. Also, a portion of the contents measured by the distance between the hoops. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

5. An old measure of capacity, variously estimated at from one to four pecks. [ Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bulge hoop,
Chine hoop,
Quarter hoop, the hoop nearest the middle of a cask, that nearest the end, and the intermediate hoop between these two, respectively. --
Flat hoop, a wooden hoop dressed flat on both sides. --
Half-round hoop, a wooden hoop left rounding and undressed on the outside. --
Hoop iron, iron in thin narrow strips, used for making hoops. --
Hoop lock, the fastening for uniting the ends of wooden hoops by notching and interlocking them. --
Hoop skirt, a framework of hoops for expanding the skirts of a woman's dress; -- called also hoop petticoat. --
Hoop snake (Zool.), a harmless snake of the Southern United States (Abaster erythrogrammus); -- so called from the mistaken notion that it curves itself into a hoop, taking its tail into its mouth, and rolls along with great velocity. --
Hoop tree (Bot.), a small West Indian tree (Melia sempervirens), of the Mahogany family. [ 1913 Webster ]