Definition of "hickey" [hick•ey]

• Informal A device or contrivance; a gadget. (noun)
• A reddish mark on the skin caused by amorous kissing, biting, or sucking. (noun)
• A pimple. (noun)
• Informal A pipe-bending apparatus. (noun)
• Informal A threaded electrical fitting used to connect a fixture to an outlet box. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Del, I don't know what kind of maidens you are used to kissing but a 3.5 inch turkey load tends to leave a "hickey" on my shoulder after each smooch ... even when that orange bead is held on the base of old Tom's warty neck!"
• "The NRSC is accepting that it as behind the "hickey" casting call."
• "Plaanden's indignant disgust, his military splendor was seriously impaired by a huge "hickey" over his left eye, the memento of a well-aimed rock."