noun
Harman
noun
1
Old-fashioned British slang for a police officer.
"The old thieves' cant used "harman" for any constable on the beat."
2
A naturally occurring alkaloid found in various plants and foods, used in research as an inhibitor of a key brain enzyme.
"Trace amounts of harman occur in coffee and grilled meats."
How to Use Harman
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTwo unrelated meanings: an old slang word for a cop, and the name of a naturally occurring chemical compound.
When to use it
The "policeman" sense is archaic slang, not used in everyday modern English.
Word Forms
harmans plural
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Etymology
As slang for a policeman, from older English underworld cant; as a surname, from a Germanic root meaning roughly "army man," closely related to Herman/Hermann.