hopper

views updated May 21 2018

hop·per / ˈhäpər/ • n. 1. a container for a bulk material such as grain, rock, or trash, typically one that tapers downward and is able to discharge its contents at the bottom. ∎  chiefly hist. a tapering container, working with a hopping motion, through which grain passed into a mill. ∎  (in full hopper car) a railroad car able to discharge coal or other bulk material through its floor. ∎  a barge for carrying away mud or sediment from a dredging machine and discharging it. ∎  (also hopper head) a container at the top of a vertical pipe that receives water from a gutter or waste pipe. ∎  a box in which bills are put for consideration by a legislature. 2. a person or thing that hops. ∎ inf. a person who makes a series of short trips: an island hopper. ∎  a hopping insect, esp. a grasshopper.

hopper

views updated May 21 2018

hopper Indian; steamed batter cake made from rice flour mixed with coconut water and allowed to undergo lactic acid fermentation overnight.