Specifically a cord used to lead an animal, such as a dog leash.
犬にひもをつけて散歩する。
I walk the dog on a leash.
noun
gigolo; kept man; pimp
Colloquial term for a man who lives off a woman's earnings; often written in katakana as ヒモ.
彼は彼女のヒモみたいな生活をしている。
He lives like a kept man off his girlfriend.
noun
restrictions; conditions; strings attached
Used in expressions like ひも付き (with strings attached) to indicate conditions or limitations.
その援助にはひもが付いている。
There are strings attached to that aid.
noun
Biological term for the mantle of shellfish and similar organisms.
貝のひもは外套膜と呼ばれる部分だ。
The mantle of a shellfish is the part called the pallium.
noun
small intestine (beef/pork); oviduct meat (chicken)
Culinary term for offal: beef/pork small intestine or chicken oviduct, often used in yakitori or hot pot.
焼き鳥のひもはコリコリした食感が美味しい。
The chicken oviduct in yakitori has a crunchy texture and is delicious.
Native Japanese word. The kanji 紐 is a phono-semantic compound with 糸 (thread) and 丑 (phonetic component). The colloquial sense of a kept man likely derives from the idea of being 'tied' to a woman financially.