1650s, "to hack, chop into small pieces," from French hacher "chop up," from Old French hache "ax" (see hatchet). Hash browns is short for hash browned potatoes (1917), with the -ed omitted, as in mash potatoes. The hash marks on a football field were so called 1960s, from similarity to hash marks, armed forces slang for "service stripes on the sleeve of a military uniform" (1909), which supposedly were called that because they mark the number of years one has had free food (hash (n.1)) from the Army; but perhaps there is a connection with the noun form of hatch (v.2).
"a stew," 1660s, from hash (v.). Meaning "a mix, a mess" is from 1735.
short for hashish, 1959.
hash (hāsh)
n.
Hashish.
Excellent; wonderful; cool (1960s+ Cool talk)
nounHashish (1950s+ Narcotics)
verbmake hamburger (or hash or mincemeat) out of someone or something, settle someone's hash, sling hash