The practice of subjecting someone new to a group (like students joining a club or fraternity) to difficult, humiliating, or dangerous initiation rituals.
From 'haze' meaning 'to harass or bully,' which may derive from a nautical term meaning 'to punish with extra work.' The organized form became associated with college fraternities in the 19th century.
Many U.S. states have criminalized hazing because it's caused serious injuries and deaths—what started as 'pranks' revealed itself to be genuinely dangerous abuse, so laws had to change!
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