Hen.2
/ˌeɪtʃˈiː/, U.S. /ˌeɪtʃˈi/ Chemistry.
The element helium.
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1895 W. A. Tilden Introd. Study Chem. Philos. (new ed.) ix. 80 (table) Helium. He.
1896 Chem. News 73 283/2 To these may probably be added the new gases He and A, which appear to belong to a new Group, VIII.
1927 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 13 216 Such transitions are unknown in the visible He2 spectrum.
1989 Nature 13 July 98/1 A layer or two of 3He atoms absorbed on a flat surface at very low temperatures.
2012 Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 84 270/1 The diffusion behaviour of helium may be complicated by the presence of He in inclusions.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
hepron.n.1adj.
/hiː/, /(h)i/, /(h)i/, U.S. /hi/, /(h)i/α. Old English hę (rare), Old English (rare)–early Middle English hæ, Old English (rare)–1600s hee, Old English– he, late Old English ho (transmission error), early Middle English h (transmission error), early Middle English ke (transmission error), Middle English hei (south-western), Middle English hey (chiefly south-western and south-west midlands), 1500s hea; English regional 1800s hee, 1800s– hey; U.S. regional 1800s hee; Scottish pre-1700 1700s– he, pre-1700 (1800s Shetland) hee, 1800s hey, 1900s– ei, 1900s– hei; Irish English (Wexford) 1800s hea, 1800s hey. eOE Acct. Voy. Ohthere & Wulfstan in tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) i. i. 13 He cwæð þæt he bude on þæm lande norþweardum wiþ þa Westsæ.OE (Northumbrian) Rushw. Gospels: Luke xiv. 16 Ipse dixit illi : hee cwæð him.OE Homily (Somerset Rec. Office: DD/SASC/1193/77) in Anglo-Saxon Eng. 33 (2004) 151 Hæ ne ofsleþ us [L. ille nos non occidat].c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11534 Hæ hafeð al his kineriche bi-queðe her Loððe.c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Laud) (1901) 1532 Hey lokede on hys gode Ryng.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 11625 He [c1400 BL Add. hei] bileuede þulke sege & toward him wende.c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 638 Thanne wolde he speke and crye as he were wood.c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine (Arun. 396) (1893) v. l. 1379 Yet was this fyre soo horryble that hee..Brent men eke.1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 105 It [sc. the badger] is also carefull in laying vp store for Winter, both the Hee and Shee.?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 72 The heez to sum laughing, but the sheez to more sport.1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. 1 Hee was no babe, but a great clearke.1644 J. Milton Areopagitica 6 That whereof before hee was so scrupulous.1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. ii. xiv. 272 The best He in the Kingdom.1836 Gentleman's Mag. 2 590 A gude munt o' deys efter dat, whinn hee wiz draan him weel up ta Jonsmis.1873 J. A. H. Murray Dial. S. Counties Scotl. 189 The diphthongal sound of hey, wey, is scarcely perceptible when unaccented.1901 C. G. de Betham in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1902) III. 104/1 [Suffolk] If he hadn't ha' hit he harder than what he hit he, he'd ha' killed he instead of he killin' o' he.1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 11 Hei leuch till ei was away in a kink.2004 R. Fairnie Scots Tung Wittins (SCOTS) No. 127 Whan hei hed wun til thair houss, hei sayed til thaim, [etc.].
β. early Middle English hie (Essex), Middle English hye (south-eastern); Scottish pre-1700 1700s 1900s– hie. a1200 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Trin. Cambr.) 313 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 229 Alle godel [read godes] laȝes hie fulleð..Þe þe þos two luues halt & wile hes wel healde.a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 3 Ðes awerȝede gast, hie makeð ðane religiuse man..sari and drieri.c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 6376 & for he him so miseise y-seye Of prisoun aschaped, bliþe was hye.1531 J. Vaus Rudimenta (new ed.) ii. sig. ddij The epicine gener it comprehendis baith the hie kynde and the scho kynde.c1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) iii. 40 Maist witt hes hie that moniest owrsylis.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 50 The hie Salmonte haueng castne the meltis, and the sche salmonte the Rounis.a1722 J. Lauder Jrnls. (1900) 72 The stone..in the head of the hie toad.1904 R. Ford Vagabond Songs (new ed.) 312 The miller o' Hawick he bred mie,..Hie brocht mie up.1996 S. Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 8 Hie winted tae gang fushin at the Dookin Puil.
γ. Middle English e (chiefly south-west midlands and south-western); English regional (chiefly west midlands and south-western) 1800s– 'e, 1800s– ee, 1800s– 'ee; U.S. (regional and nonstandard) 1800s eh, 1900s– e, 1900s– 'e, 1900s– ee; Scottish 1900s– e, 1900s– 'e, 1900s– ee, 1900s– 'ee. a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 366 in J. Zupitza & J. Schipper Alt- u. Mitteleng. Übungsbuch (1904) 91 E [emended in ed. to he] is soð sunne end briht.a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 254 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 91 E clepede ford malcus, is mon quellere.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7803 E [c1300 Otho he] wende þat he ilad weore limen for to leosen.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 1475 Wundere me þungþ..Hu eni mon so eauar for, Þat e his heorte miȝte driue An o [read driue to] do hit to oþers mannes wiue.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) 2341 So e gret Ðat alle hise wlite wurð teres wet.c1375 (?c1280) Birth Jesus (Egerton) 967 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1875) 1st Ser. 103 Þe schipes þat e founde, To douste he let hem brenne anon.?a1500 (?a1475) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1923) 38 383 He ad gret ast Into þe hall, For fayne E wyst noȝt hou he fard.1860 G. P. R. Pulman Song of Solomon iii. 11 Th' day ee was morried.1888 C. C. Jones Negro Myths Georgia Coast 85 You husbun duh de Debble, an wen eh saterfy long you eh gwine bex wid you an kill you.1928 ‘P. Grey’ Making of King 56 ‘Did Ben tell ye onything?’ ‘Ay, did 'e. He tell't Betsy an' me ye wis gain' tae be a total wreck.’1946 in Sc. National Dict. (1976) X. 239/3 [Caithness] A wonder me that 'ee wad dae a thing lek 'at.1993 in Sc. National Dict. New Suppl. (Electronic text) at Blaw E's a great blaa—bit e niver dis onything.
δ. early Middle English hii (perhaps transmission error), Middle English i, Middle English y, Middle English–1500s hi, Middle English–1500s hy. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 29 Hwet is scrift bute..cumen to þan preoste..and cweðen in his þonke þar hi bið.a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Digby) clxxv, in Anglia (1878) 1 29 Hi is soð sune and briht and dai bute nihte.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) 387 Somme he sloþ, somme he bond, þe beste he cwic at-heold, and alle hii [c1275 Calig. he heom] best bi-wiste þare him best þohte.a1325 St. Brendan (Corpus Cambr.) 66 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 182 Ȝif man aȝen Godes heste nadde noþing misdo, Her inne hy hadde ȝute bileued & is ospryng also.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 43 Þe oþer is þe zenne of grochinge.., huanne þe man uor wynnynge..deþ þing huer by hi draȝeþ oþre to þe dyaþe.a1400 (c1300) Serm. on Gospels (Coll. Phys.) in J. Small Eng. Metrical Homilies (1862) 157 Forthi he said, quen I him seye, ‘Lauerd, in pes nou mai I dey.’?1505 J. van Doesborch tr. Lytel Treatyse xv. Tokens sig. D. iii Hy is syeng and knowyng all thynge.
ε. Middle English–1500s ha; English regional (south-western) 1800s– ha, 1800s– hu. c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Royal) (1938) 36 Mare ha [c1225 Bodl. he] gledeð of god wiðuten ei eilung þen of his ahne gledung.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 69 Þe þridde cunne sikelere [read fikelere] is wurest asich seide. for ha preisið þe uuele & hise uuele deden.a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Titus) (1963) 78 Hwa se is siker of sucurs þat him schal cume sone. & ȝeldes tah up his castel to hise wiðerwines, swiðe ha [c1230 Corpus he] is to witen.c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 218 Ha maket of þo watere wyn.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 30 Ha beat, and smit, and wyf, and children,..ase ha were out of his wytte.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 82 Toe caluarye his crouche ha beer.c1475 (a1400) Sir Amadace (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 38 To serue the pore folke ha was fulle bowne, For thay lay his hert nere.1565 R. Wever Lusty Juventus sig. D.i Iuuentus. We shoulde haue mery company. Felowship. Mery quod ha, we can not chuse but be mery.1846 N. Hogg Poet. Lett. (1865) 6 Ha uny gied es wip a znack.1846 N. Hogg Poet. Lett. (1865) 12 A cliver man tole mer hu vurily thort Thay sqweez'd up tha hawls uv thare stummiks ta nort.1860 H. Baird Song Solomon (1862) ii. 4 Ha brort ma ta tha bankitten houze, an es banner auver ma was luv.1891 R. P. Chope Dial. Hartland, Devonshire Ha,..he, she, it.
ζ. early Middle English þe (see note below), Middle English ȝe, Middle English ye (north-east midlands). c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 407 Lutel þerf þu carien..þet ȝe ne mahe lihtliche, þet he nule gleadliche ifinde þe largeliche al þet te bihoueð.c1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 77 Þe [emended to he in ed.] sei is moder serwen maken; wol reufuliche þe [emended to he in ed.] spac hire to.a1325 St. Christopher (Corpus Cambr.) 50 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 342 Ne come ȝe [c1300 Harl. he] neuere in betere stude.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 120 Iesus..Þo ȝe was bote twelf wynter ald.a1400 MS Merton 248 in Neuphilol. Mitteilungen (1997) 98 120 And toke me wan ye fro deuel poer delyuer me,..and toke me wan ye in-to blis brow me.
η. Middle English–1700s a; English regional 1700s– a, 1800s a', 1800s– 'a, 1800s– ai (Somerset), 1800s– aw (Cornwall), 1900s– ah (Lincolnshire); Welsh English 1800s– a (Pembrokeshire). c1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 18 In o stunde oþer tuo a winnet him a þusend pine oþer mo.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 693 Brutus him tolde tidinge þat alond a verde sechinge [c1275 Calig. an lond he ferde sechinde] ware he mihte wonie.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 3 Ac a deyþe, and he not wanne.c1400 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Tiber.) vi. xxix, in R. Morris & W. W. Skeat Specim. Early Eng. (1884) II. 243 Kynge Edward hadde byhote duc William þat a [a1387 St. John's Cambr. he] scholde be kynge after hym ef he dyede wyþoute chyldern.c1425 (?a1400) Arthur (Longleat 55) l. 370 He went ouer to þe hulle syde, And þere a fonde a wommane byde.a1475 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 15th Cent. (1939) 43 Thow bare a chyld of gret powere, A neuer was fylyd witt no syne.1553 Sir T. Gresham in J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (1881) V. xxix. 472/2 For that the retailer doth sell..a doth not only take away the living of the Merchant.1584 G. Peele Araygnem. Paris ii. i. sig. Biij Tut, Mars hath hornes to butte withall, although no bull a showes, A neuer needes to maske in nets, a feares no iellous froes.1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iii. 73 Now might I doe it, but now a is a praying, And now Ile doo't, and so a goes to heauen.1610 Histrio-mastix i. 157 A speaks to you players: I am the poet.1756 A. Murphy Apprentice i. 16 I got as far as the Jesuit before a went out of Town.1795 ‘P. Pindar’ Royal Visit Exeter 156 In a com [= in he came].1853 J. Y. Akerman Wiltshire Tales 169 One night a was coming whoame vrom market, and vell off's hos into the rood, a was zo drunk.1864 Ld. Tennyson Northern Farmer: Old Style iii, in Enoch Arden, etc. 129 ‘The amoighty's a taäkin o' you to 'issén, my friend,’ a said.1888 B. Lowsley Gloss. Berks. Words & Phrases 37 ‘If zo be as a zes a wunt, a wunt’ (if he says he won't, he won't).1960 A. O. D. Claxton Suffolk Dial. 20th Cent. (ed. 2) 15 ‘Young Bill's in Lunnon.’ ‘O is a.’
θ. 1500s–1700s h'. 1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres ii. xxxiii. f. 27v Hither to approach h' will neuer dare.1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 75 And when h' hath done, 'tis good to lay 't aside.1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 31 It was so short, h' had much ado To reach it with his desperate toe.1702 N. Rowe Tamerlane i. i With most un-kingly baseness, H' has ta'en the advantage of their absent arms.
2. Combined (sometimes in contracted form) with a preceding or following word (usually a verb). a. Proclitic or with enclitic verb or pronoun early Middle English þ- (see note below), Middle English 1600s h-, Middle English– he-, 1500s–1700s h'-, 1500s–1700s (1800s– regional) hee-, 1600s h'e-; English regional 1800s– hoo- (Lancashire), 1900s– a-; Scottish 1900s– e-, 1900s– hei-; Welsh English 1900s– a- (Pembrokeshire). Frequently with contracted verbs, where an apostrophe is now standard.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 107 Loke he well þatt het write swa.a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 100 So his oliue þat iuele wiued, for he sal him often dreri maken.c1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 84 Welle, wat þu were blithe, þo þaros [emended to aros in ed.] fram deth to liue.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) 1711 Leue askede hem hom to faren.a1400 (c1300) Archbishop & Nun (Coll. Phys.) in J. Small Eng. Metrical Homilies (1862) 84 Quen hem [emended to he him in ed.] schrifes of his sin.1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Giv H'is ould, and good that hath bene deade an hundreth yeres complete.1590 R. Wilson Three Lordes & Three Ladies London sig. B2 He's a Rascal, or a straunger borne.1598 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie iii. x. sig. H4 H'ath made a common-place booke out of plaies.1616 B. Jonson Sejanus (new ed.) i. i, in Wks. I. 362 How stands h'affected to the present state?1704 in N. N. tr. T. Boccalini Advts. from Parnassus II. A iv b The Wrongs H'as felt in Paultry Specimens so long.1800 M. Edgeworth Eton Montem ii, in Parent's Assistant (ed. 3) VI. 150 Why, unless he bought a vote, he'd never win one.1875 ‘S. Beauchamp’ N. Hamilton I. 67 He bin a rum un, tho' heem not a bad un.1876 F.H. Burnett in Century Sept. 627/2 What th' owd lad dunnot know is na worth knowin'. Eh! hoo's a graidely foo', that hoo is.1982 B. G. Charles Eng. Dial. S. Pembrokeshire 7/1 A's shoor to kum.1994 S. Douglas in J. Robertson Tongue in yer Heid 58 Hei's caaed efter yow.2004 in Sc. National Dict. New Suppl. (Electronic text) at Hack E thinks e's a hackie abeen e lave o's wi eez university degree. b. Enclitic early Middle English -he, early Middle English 1600s -e. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 73 He þencheð selde oðer naure of heuene wele, þe forgult mid his sunnes, and helle wowe þe he erneð.a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 81 Ðane derewurðe salm anon he makede, and godes wraðhe [printed wrað he] ðar mide acolede.a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 477 Ne mai he it forðen no wiȝt, Ne canne ðan non oðer, Oc remeð mid his broðer.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) 1933 In sichem feld ne fonde hem nogt, In dotaym he fond hem sogt.1677 J. Banks Rival Kings iii. i. 21 See how'e sets his amorous looks this while. A. pron. The subjective case of the masculine third person singular pronoun.† III. As demonstrative pronoun.
I. As personal pronoun.
1. The male person or animal previously mentioned or implied or easily identified. Also (frequently with capital initial) with reference to God.
a. As subject or (now formal) subject complement.
(a) Referring to a person.
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eOE (Northumbrian) Cædmon Hymn (Cambr. Kk.5.16) 5 He aerist scop aelda barnum heben til hrofe, haleg scepen.
eOE Acct. Voy. Ohthere & Wulfstan in tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) i. i. 13 Ohthere sæde..þæt he ealra Norðmonna norþmest bude.
OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) ix. 8 Drihten þurhwunað on ecnesse; And he gearwað his domsetl, and he demð ealre eorþan swyðe emne.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 113 He ous wylle uoryeue oure misdedes ase we uoryeueþ to ham þet ous mis-doþ.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Gen. iii. 6 And sche..eet, and ȝaf to hir hosebonde, and he eet.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) iii. 45 Quod the kynge, ‘Be well a-vised that ye knowe it is he.’ And thei seide, ‘We knowe verely it is he.’
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. v. 45 He..sendeth his reyne on the iuste and on the iniuste.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 297 For contemplation hee and valour formd, For softness shee and sweet attractive Grace, Hee for God only, shee for God in him. View more context for this quotation
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. i. 49 He will go about to prove that there is something besides He-knows-not-what.
1701 W. Penn in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1870) IX. 78 A lawyer sends me word he is offered to be feed against me.
1767 E. Jerningham Alisia in Poems 29 She fondly cried—Oh that is he! While patted fast her heart.
1871 C. Hodge Systematic Theol. II. iii. i. 326 God predestinates those whom He foresees will persevere in faith unto salvation.
1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd I. vi. 65 He played on with spirit.
1883 R. Broughton Belinda III. iv. i. 160 Surely that is he sauntering down to the little pier.
1920 F. S. Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise ii. i. 205 Hi, Alec! Tom said he'd meet you at the theatre.
1978 I. Kesarcodi & I. Kesarcodi tr. V. Lossky Orthodox Theol. i. 32 He is the God to Whom I say ‘Thou’.
2002 Daily Tel. 18 Oct. 19/1 He has sent me a schoolmasterly letter, saying that..he is prepared to overlook the matter this time.
(b) Referring to an animal. Also used generically, without consideration of gender.
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OE Beowulf (2008) 1370 Ðeah þe hæðstapa.., heorot hornum trum holtwudu sece.., ær he feorh seleð.., ær he in wille, hafelan [beorgan].
OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Num. (Claud.) xxii. 28 Ða geopenode Drihten þæs assan muð [L. os asinae], & he cwæð: Hwi beatst ðu me swa swyðe?
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iii. xi. 194 Þær wæs begyten se mæsta & se ryþesta bera.., se wæs gewunod, þæt he oft wælhreowlice manna lichaman slat.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 49 Hund wule inbluðelich hwar se he fint open.
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 108 Ðe neddre..If he naked man se, ne wile he him noȝt neggen, Oc he fleð fro him, als he fro fir sulde.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xci. 1242 Þe male [sc. frog] in tyme of loue whanne he cryeþ for þe female.
c1425 Twiti Venery (Vesp. B.xii) 151 When he goth soole than is he callyd a boor.
1589 J. Sparke in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 534 His [sc. the crocodile's] nature is euer when he would haue his praie, to crie, and sobbe like a christian bodie, to prouoke them to come to him, and then hee snatcheth at them.
c1620 A. Hume Of Orthogr. Britan Tongue (1870) ii. iv. §4 He is the noat of the male; as, he is a gud judge; he is a wyse man; he is a speedie horse.
1699 G. Farquhar Love & Bottle iii. 31 If ever the Muses had a Horse, I am he.
1790 R. Beilby & T. Bewick Gen. Hist. Quadrupeds 27 The horsemen rode off the Bull from the rest of the herd, until he stood at bay.
1845 J. H. Ingraham Scarlet Feather ix. 58 With the tread of the velvet-footed pard when he creeps upon his prey.
1966 M. E. Murie & O. Murie Wapiti Wilderness iv. 71 Oh, I believe he's a pretty good horse. He may be a little bit snaky.
2001 Tropical Fish Hobbyist Apr. 107/2 The male guppy..has a modified anal fin..which he uses to inseminate the female.
b. Used redundantly with a noun that is the subject or subject complement. Now chiefly regional and nonstandard.Formerly common in ballad style.
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OE tr. Felix St. Guthlac (Vesp.) (1909) v. 124 Moyses ærest and Helias hi fæston, and swylce eac se hælend ealles middaneardes on westene he fæste.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 3 Ðes awerȝede gast, hie makeð ðane religiuse man..sari and drieri.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 2552 Þe king he sende after hom.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4055 Ioseph he sagh a night in sueuen.
a1500 (?c1400) Sir Triamour (Cambr.) (1937) l. 744 (MED) The kyngys sone of Armony..To Tryamowre he ranne.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry f. 45v Poore Cobler he toggeth his leatherly trash, if cheese abide togging, at Cisley a crash.
c1650 Chevy Chase in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1889) III. vi. 311 The first man that did answer make Was noble Pearcy hee.
1718 A. Ramsay Christ's-kirk on Green iii. 30 But Lawrie he took out his Nap, Upon a Mow of Peas.
1782 W. Cowper John Gilpin 85 ‘Fair and softly’, John he cried, But John he cried in vain.
1841 H. W. Longfellow Wreck of Hesperus in Boston Bk. (ed. 3) 74 The Skipper he stood beside the helm.
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xxv. 211 Then the king he hunched the duke, private.
1949 S. Grapes Boy John Lett. (1974) 20 Granfar he say ‘I can't drink out o' them little tity glarses,’ so they brort him a pint.
1987 T. Wolfe Bonfire of Vanities xxii. 447 My buddy, he say he know you.
2009 T. A. Green African-American Folk Tales 151 The man he said something on the stone, and waved a magic wand on the stone.
2.
a. The thing personified or conventionally treated as male (as a mountain, a river, a tree, the sun) or (in early use) the thing grammatically masculine, previously mentioned or implied or easily identified. Also (Scottish regional) as indefinite subject of statements about time, conditions, etc.See note in the etymology section on the general shift from grammatical to natural gender, and on exceptions to the general pattern that are sometimes found in earlier use.
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eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xvi. 451 [Ð]a se Wisdom þa þas fitte asungen hæfde, þa ongon he eft seggan spell.
OE Ælfric De Temporibus Anni (Cambr. Gg.3.28) (2009) x. 94 Feower heafodwindas sind; se fyrmesta is easterne wind, Subsolanus gehaten, forðan ðe he blæwð fram ðære sunnan upsprincge.
OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) iii. 240 Heortes horn gebærnedne drince on hatum wætere; þa wyrmas he acwelleð.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 11 Æfter þan flode..þe al her a-quelde quic þat he [c1300 Otho hit] funde.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 3 Engelond his a wel god lond..he stond as in an yle.
c1400 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Tiber.) i. xlix, in R. Morris & W. W. Skeat Specim. Early Eng. (1884) II. 236 Yn þis ylond groweþ a ston þat hatte gagates; ȝef me axeþ hys feyrnesse—a [a1387 St. John's Cambr. he] ys blak as gemmes buþ..a brenneþ yn water & quencheþ in oyle..ȝif a ys yfroted & yhat, a holdeþ what hym neyȝheþ; ȝef me axeþ hys goodnes—hyt heeleþ þe dropesy & hyt be ydrongke.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) l. 867 The Philosophres stoon Elixer clept..With al oure sleighte he wol nat come vs to.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 8 An argument if he be ful and foormal..is mad of twey proposiciouns.
a1500 in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 248 ‘Cordys contrycio’ ys the too [= the second], A wasshyth the woundes as doth a well.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xl Ye better the stake woll be driuen whan he is well bounden.
1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. C vj Dyll..hath..a spokye top as fenell hath, whome he doth represent wonders nere.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. iii. 64 The blushing discontented Sunne..When he perceiues the enuious cloudes are bent To dimme his glorie. View more context for this quotation
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Descr. Germanie iv, in Annales 265 That, euerie nation as he was strong, should not set himselfe in possession.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 83 Joves own Tree..Full in the midst of his own Strength he stands..His Shade protects the Plains, his Head the Hills commands.
1700 J. Moxon Math. made Easie (1701) at Stationary Hence a Planet is said to be Stationary, when he is about either of these his Stations.
1763 J. Woodforde Diary 13 June in W. N. Hargreaves-Mawdsley Woodforde at Oxf. (1969) 111 Had a new feather-top Wigg..but he is rather too small.
1823 Ld. Byron Island iii. i. 47 The flashing..Which robes the cannon as he wings a tomb.
1832 Ld. Tennyson New Year's Eve ii Tonight I saw the sun set: he set and left behind The good old year.
1836 Gentleman's Mag. 2 590 A gude munt o' deys efter dat, whinn hee wiz draan him weel up ta Jonsmis.
1855 C. Kingsley Westward Ho! (1889) 120 He've got a good venture on hand, but what a be he tell'th no man.
1921 Classical Weekly 28 Feb. 124/2 The Tiber likewise carries out another promise: he flows backward, gently bearing the Trojan's craft upon his bosom.
1950 New Shetlander No. 21 19 He wis a sair feycht dan in days ta maak a livin.
1982 M. Dhavamony Classical Hinduism iii. 78 The sun as he traverses in his diurnal course the three worlds of earth, air, and heaven.
b. In anaphoric reference to a singular noun or pronoun of undetermined gender. Cf. they pron. 2.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xii. 116 Swa hwa swa of ðam hlafe geett, he leofað on ecnysse.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 99 It warð on eches muð wat mete se he mest luuede.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 29 Hwet is scrift bute..habben in his þonke þe he nule nefre mare eft ȝe don þeo sunnen þe he geð to scrifte fore.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 13 He ssel come ate daye of dome..and yelde to echen be þet he heþ of-guo ine þise wordle.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) xxxix. 63 Bere honoure to euery one after he is worthy.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Biiv No persone may know for certaynty, whether he haue it or nat.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Confirmacion f. ix*v (heading) A Cathechisme that is to say, an instruccion to bee learned of euery childe, before he be brought to be confirmed of the Bushop.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1958) IX. 365 A Christian hath no Solstice..where he may stand still, and goe no farther.
1694 R. Burthogge Ess. Reason 4 If a person had never seen but one thing..he could not be sensible or conscious he did see it.
1746 E. Hoyle Short Treat. Whist (ed. 6) 68 The obliging your Partner or your Adversary to trump a suit of which he has none.
a1789 W. Adams Serm. (1790) v. 98 The sinner, if he will suffer himself to reason..on..the account he is to give at the judgement to come, will like Felix tremble.
1833 Philos. Mag. 3 242 If a person inspire deeply, he will be able immediately after to hold breath for a time.
1878 Lancet 4 May 639/1 The patient fears he will never be able to use his limb again.
1904 Positivist Rev. 1 Dec. 280 It is a mistake to teach a child to read too soon; if he can read when he is five..that is soon enough.
1958 I. Murdoch Bell xv. 198 Dora..was suddenly filled with the elation of one to whom great power has been given which he does not yet know how to use.
2001 U.S. News & World Rep. 15 Jan. 26/1 They voted for whoever looked like he would finally fix the plumbing.
c. regional. Used with reference to a female person or animal (= she pron.1 1a), or to a person or animal of either gender.In English regional use chiefly west midland and south-western (esp. as a result of phonological convergence with forms of hoo pron.: see etymological note at that entry); elsewhere chiefly in varieties influenced by English pidgins and creoles.
ΚΠ
1851 T. Sternberg Dial. & Folk-lore Northants. 1 A, this pronoun, which has the sound of the inarticulate a, is used for he, she, and sometimes it.
1853 W. G. Simms Sword & Distaff xxviii. 196 Miss Ebleigh! He's a bressed (blessed) woman.
1882 E. L. Chamberlain Gloss. W. Worcs. Words 1 ‘W'ahr bin a?’, ‘Thar a comes,’ may mean either where is he, she, or it?
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. He, the universal nominative pronoun to represent all things living or dead, to which the indefinite article can be prefixed... He is used in speaking of a cow or a woman, but not of..such things as are..in the mass.
1919 Dial. Notes 5 38 An old Cherokee, replying..to an inquiry as to the health of his wife, said: ‘He some better now, him stand up in bed an' eat coffee.’
1944 H. T. Kane Deep Delta Country xix. 247 At the camp I ax my wife what he have cook'. ‘Not much, vieux,’ he say.
1972 D. Dalby in T. Kochmann Rappin' & Stylin' Out 180 He, as undifferentiated pronoun for ‘he’ or ‘she’ (now becoming increasingly rare in black American speech).
1984 J. Platt et al. New Englishes iv. 61 From Hong Kong: (Someone was referring to her sister): He work in office in Kowloon. From Malaysia: My mother, he live in kampong.
3. Used for the objective case; = him pron. 1.
a. In literary use, chiefly owing to grammatical analogy or hypercorrection.In quot. 1875 in childish speech.
ΚΠ
1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 36, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre These instrumentes helpeth muche more him that besigeth a toune, then he that is besiged.
1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido v. ii Yet he, whose heart['s] of adamant or flint, My tears nor plaints could mollify a whit.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 141 They haue no other king but he.
1642 tr. J. Perkins Profitable Bk. xi. §770. 338 It behoveth not he to be ready upon the Land to make the feofment.
1734 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. II. 341 Has any other person a right or power over the lives of men, save he, from whom they received them, even God himself?
1798 J. C. Cross Raft i. 7 O'Bowling's a brave fellow to be sure, but no more to compare to he, than the smallest brad to a ten-penny nail.
1875 ‘S. Coolidge’ Mischief's Thanksgiving 59 ‘There's a word for a well-behaved mouse to use. Where did you get it, sir?’ ‘I heard he say it this very night,’ answered Mousie..pointing at Harry.
2010 E. Foxworth Journey On 98 I had to allow him to remove that anger so that I was not poisoning myself or putting a barrier between he and I.
b. British regional (south-western). As the emphatic objective (contrasting with unemphatic 'en, 'un: see 'un pron.). Now rare.
ΚΠ
1857 C. M. Yonge Dynevor Terrace I. i. 3 I've done with he! Let him look out.
1863 W. Barnes Gram. & Gloss. Dorset Dial. 23 Gi'e the money to I, not he.
1877 F. T. Elworthy Outl. Gram. Dial. W. Somerset 36 Our objective him is always un, n, unless it is emphatic, when it is ee..Uur ded·n zai noa·ŭrt tŭ ee, ‘She did not say anything to he’.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Arg I wadn gwain vor to be a downarg by he.
c. regional (chiefly Caribbean). Used as the ordinary objective case.
ΚΠ
1904 Penny Cuts (Trinidad) 5 June Ah tell he dat he mus put six bits on it vecos ah do de wuk too cheap a'reddy.
1934 T. S. Stribling Unfinished Cathedral xxiii. 152 Chris' let de chillun ob dis worl crucify He.
1961 I. Khan Jumbie Bird xii. 170 The ole man old, an' he see he days, is time for he to pack up an' go.
1969 in H. Halpert & G. M. Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 72 Oh, I know he!
1975 T. Callender It so Happen 101 And a lot o' we start to get frighten and call out to he to slow down.
2002 C. Williams Sugar & Slate 134 ‘Married..to he?’ an immigration officer at Timheri Airport had exclaimed.
4. English regional (chiefly northern) and U.S. regional. In commands, requests, or enquiries: you. Now rare.
ΚΠ
?1757 ‘T. Bobbin’ View Lancs. Dial. 14 Yo mey grope eh meh Breeches in he [1746 eh] win.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) He, you, frequently addressed to children. ‘John, will he foch't kye.’
1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale He, you; as, ‘Will he come an see us?’ = Will you come and see us? Used to adults as well as to children.
1878 Appletons' Jrnl. Nov. 416/1 They [sc. old-time people in portions of New Jersey] show a deference to persons of station or worth, or to strangers, by speaking to them in the third person. Instead of saying, ‘How do you do?’ in inquiring after your health, they will say, ‘How does he do?’
1903 S. Clapin New Dict. Amer. 223 Bashful, ignorant people. In talking with you, they will say: ‘Will he take a chair?’
1905 J. Wright Eng. Dial. Gram. 274 In the dialects of the north, and in Lan. Chs. and Suf. he is often used for you. In w.Yks. this is only used when addressing children; in Chs. it is sometimes used by a superior to an inferior, while conversely in Suf. it is used when the speaker wishes to be particularly respectful.
II. As antecedent pronoun with postmodifying clause or phrase. Cf. she pron.1 II., that pron.1 II., they pron. II., those pron. 5
5.
a. Followed by a relative clause. The or that man, or person of the male sex (that, †which, who); (in indefinite use) any man, any one, one, a person (that, †which, who). In early use also with †the (the pron.1). Now literary.In Old English also with relative construction se þe (see the pron.1 b).
ΚΠ
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxvi. 354 Cwæð he se ðe mid mec spræc: Soð ðu sagast, cwæð he.
OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xxi.18 Gyf he [sc. the man who was hit in a fight] arist & ut gæð mid his stafe, he bið unscyldig þe hine sloh [L. qui percussit].
OE Manumission, Exeter (Bodl. 579) in J. Earle Hand-bk. Land-charters (1888) 253 Hæbbe he godes curs, þe þis æfre undo, a on ecnysse.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 29 (MED) He haueð þes deofles costes þet a festeð and a deð uuel.
c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 26 (MED) He sit on heh þet is ow on helpe.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 186 He þe nefde nawt of sunne bute schadewe.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2186 (MED) Þis is he þat fader myn ordeyneþ my lord to be.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms xciii. 9 He that plauntede the ere, shal he not heren.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 1833 He which feigneth to be wod.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3694 If þou be he i luue sa wele.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xii. sig. D.ijv Where is he that shalle..make warre ayenste the thus alyed?
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ix. 8 As he that was yong and lusty desiryng all honoure.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xi. f. xiiijv He that hath eares to heare, let him here.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) ii. 77 There is not he, who is not glad with all his heart to be honoured.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. i. 34 Are not you hee, That frights the maidens of the Villageree. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Cor. ix. 6 He which soweth bountifully, shall reape bountifully. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxvii. 159 He that refuseth Duell, is subject to contempt and scorne.
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 441. ¶4 He who considers himself abstractedly.
1751 S. Richardson Clarissa (ed. 3) IV. xxiv. 121 He who perishes in needless dangers, is the Devil's Martyr.
1837 J. W. Carlyle Lett. I. 79 He that thinks least will live the longest.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Elaine in Idylls of King 204 He makes no friend who never made a foe.
1906 J. Conrad Mirror of Sea ii. 8 He who loves the sea loves also the ship's routine.
1940 A. E. Hertzler Doctors & Patients (1941) ii. 47 He that tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted.
2011 Independent 3 Jan. 8/5 He who communicates information affects its impact.
b. Followed by a prepositional phrase. The (male) person of, with, etc. Now archaic or humorous.
ΚΠ
c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 690 (MED) Þenne com he wiþ þe sore Arm.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 607 Se where rydyth a strong knyght, he wyth the rede shylde.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. v. 341 He of Wales that..swore the diuel his true liegeman vpon the crosse of a Welsh hooke. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) i. i. 155 He in the red face had it. View more context for this quotation
1644 J. Milton Areopagitica 8 If he of the bottomlesse pit had not long since broke prison.
a1711 T. Ken Hymns for Festivals in Wks. (1721) I. 374 The Force he of the promis'd Seed Had felt, in Jesus pre-decreed.
1765 D. Hume Let. 28 Dec. (1932) I. 530 The Philosopher of Geneva seems only to have more Genius than he of Athens, who never wrote any thing.
1817 J. Keats Poems 92 Great spirits now on earth are sojourning; He of the cloud, the cataract, the lake.
1847 H. Melville Omoo vi. 23 Presently he with the pistols, followed by the rest flourishing their bodkins, entered the wood.
1895 Argosy Sept. 504/1 He of the sack coat forged ahead and reached the object of the chase first.
1901 R. M. Sillard Barry Sullivan & his Contemporaries II. xviii. 38 The Ghost and Laertes were represented by one and the same individual (he in the check trousers).
1921 Outlook 19 Oct. 261/1 Then our tenor-manager, he with the big black cigar,..augmented our personnel with a large chorus of mixed voices.
1930 Variety 26 Feb. 24/5 Jimmy Durante, he of the large schozzola [sic].
2010 Vanity Fair Apr. 132/2 Gekko—he of the power suspenders, the narcissistic slick-back, and the obnoxiously large watches.
6. he and (occasionally or) he: this and that, the one and the other, both. Similarly he..he. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16161 For he and he had samen ben, forwit selcuth wrath.
c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1871) l. 166 It likyth hym at wrastelyng for to be And demyn ȝit wher he do bet or he.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. xii. 68 And gan begyn desyre, baith he and he, In bodeis ȝit for to returne agane.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 371 Talkand thai raid togidder to the toun, Hand for hand rycht hamelie he and he.
c1620 A. Hume Of Orthogr. Britan Tongue (1870) i. vii. §8 He snapped me on this hand and he on that.
1652 Ripley's Compend of Alchemy in E. Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum 156 Where ys my Mony becom seyth one, And where ys myne seyth he and he?
1848 A. H. Clough Bothie of Toper-na-Fuosich iii. 59 Arthur..Leapt from the ledges with Hope, he twenty feet, he thirty.
1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold (front matter) But he and he, if soul be soul, are where Each stands full face with all he did below.
B. n.1
1. Chiefly opposed to she.
a. In generic use. Chiefly predicative. Male; an individual of the male sex. Cf. Compounds 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > sex and gender > male > [noun]
heOE
masclea1425
M1858
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark x. 6 Masculum et feminam fecit eos deus : woepenmon uel hee & hiuu uel wifmon worhte hia god.
OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 18 Ælc nyten byð oððe he oððe heo.
OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 19 Hic coruus ðes hremn, swa hwæðer swa hit byð, swa he, swa heo.
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame (Fairf. 16) (1878) l. 1082 Thou wilt gesse That it the same body be Man or woman, he or she.
1612 J. Davies Muses Sacrifice f. 115v Though he fed of others, that shall be Restor'd the owner, be it he or she.
a1645 W. Strode Floating Island (1655) iv. v. sig. E If it be she, I'le ravish her; if he,Then thou shalt do't.
1731 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 75/1 When one doth to another call, Be't he, or she, they turn up all.
1771 Monthly Rev. Jan. 68 Our Author, whether he or she we cannot tell, intimates, that all the French youth in the rank of Gentlemen, are such creatures as these.
1888 Sat. Rev. 20 Oct. 467/1 Any one not a poet, whether he or she, might toil, [etc.].
1924 R. C. Temple Word of Lalla the Prophetess ii. 116 Self-fertilizing plants..have..both male and female organs of generation, and are therefore both he and she.
2008 M. Holmes Intersex i. 54 This medical ‘explanation’..assumes that the child must be either he or she but not both and/or neither.
b. As a count noun.
(a) A male human being; a man or boy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > man > [noun]
churla800
werec900
rinkeOE
wapmanc950
heOE
wyeOE
gomeOE
ledeOE
seggeOE
shalkOE
manOE
carmanlOE
mother bairnc1225
hemea1250
mother sona1250
hind1297
buck1303
mister mana1325
piecec1325
groomc1330
man of mouldc1330
hathela1350
sire1362
malea1382
fellowa1393
guestc1394
sergeant?a1400
tailarda1400
tulka1400
harlotc1405
mother's sona1470
frekea1475
her1488
masculinea1500
gentlemana1513
horse?a1513
mutton?a1513
merchant1549
child1551
dick1553
sorrya1555
knavea1556
dandiprat1556
cove1567
rat1571
manling1573
bird1575
stone-horse1580
loona1586
shaver1592
slave1592
copemate1593
tit1594
dog1597
hima1599
prick1598
dingle-dangle1605
jade1608
dildoa1616
Roger1631
Johnny1648
boy1651
cod1653
cully1676
son of a bitch1697
cull1698
feller1699
chap1704
buff1708
son of a gun1708
buffer1749
codger1750
Mr1753
he-man1758
fella1778
gilla1790
gloak1795
joker1811
gory1819
covey1821
chappie1822
Charley1825
hombre1832
brother-man1839
rooster1840
blokie1841
hoss1843
Joe1846
guy1847
plug1848
chal1851
rye1851
omee1859
bloke1861
guffin1862
gadgie1865
mug1865
kerel1873
stiff1882
snoozer1884
geezer1885
josser1886
dude1895
gazabo1896
jasper1896
prairie dog1897
sport1897
crow-eater1899
papa1903
gink1906
stud1909
scout1912
head1913
beezer1914
jeff1917
pisser1918
bimbo1919
bozo1920
gee1921
mush1936
rye mush1936
basher1942
okie1943
mugger1945
cat1946
ou1949
tess1952
oke1970
bra1974
muzhik1993
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke ii. 23 Omne masculinum adaperiens uuluam sanctum domino uocabitur : eghuelc he uel woepenmon tountynes hrif..halig drihtne geceiged.
?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature ii. sig. Biijv Infidelitas. What, sumtyme thu wert an he. Idolatria. Yea, but now ych am a she.
?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 72 The heez to sum laughing, but the sheez to more sport.
1603 S. Harsnett Declar. Popish Impostures v. 21 Here you may perceiue, in what termes the patients on both sides with their holy Maisters stood, how the deuils of both kindes, hees, and shees, became combined together.
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης x. 97 The dissolute rabble of all his Courtiers..both Hees and Shees, if ther were any Males among them.
1701 N. Rowe Ambitious Step-mother iv. i. 1725 The greatest he..Must have confest Woman's superior Wit.
1776 S. J. Pratt Pupil of Pleasure I. 225 Unprotected by some ostensible he or she.
1801 C. K. Sharpe Corr. 12 Jan. I. 102 Good spouses to the shes, and none at all to the hes!
1915 M. R. Beard Women's Work in Municipalities i. 1 Both hes and shes are educated largely by women in the secondary schools which are the schools of the ‘people’.
2006 Weekly World News 3 July 47/3 I wish someone would publish a field guide to aliens. Is she from Mercury..? Is it a he or a she, period?
(b) A male animal.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > family unit > [noun] > male
malea1393
he1567
Tom1826
1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 105 It [sc. the badger] is also carefull in laying vp store for Winter, both the Hee and Shee.
1609 Bp. W. Barlow Eagle & Body sig. B2 A Prey to the Eagles of the Epicene gender, both Hees, and Shees.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler i. 24 If the Survivor shall ever couple with another, the he or she, not only the living, but the dead, is denyed the name and honour of a true Turtle Dove. View more context for this quotation
1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) III. 331 Do we divide dogs into hes and shes, and take the masculine gender out to hunt?
2004 R. Morecroft et al. Zoo Album 27/1 The keepers call CB [a penguin] ‘her,’ but in fact they don't know for sure if she's a she or a he!
2. A man (in the generic sense, or with maleness as a secondary consideration); a person, a personage. † any he: any person whatever (obsolete). Chiefly archaic and literary.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > [noun]
hadc900
lifesmaneOE
maneOE
world-maneOE
ghostOE
wyeOE
lifeOE
son of manOE
wightc1175
soulc1180
earthmanc1225
foodc1225
person?c1225
creaturec1300
bodyc1325
beera1382
poppetc1390
flippera1400
wat1399
corsec1400
mortal?a1425
deadly?c1450
hec1450
personagec1485
wretcha1500
human1509
mundane1509
member1525
worma1556
homo1561
piece of flesh1567
sconce1567
squirrel?1567
fellow creature1572
Adamite1581
bloat herringa1586
earthling1593
mother's child1594
stuff1598
a piece of flesh1600
wagtail1607
bosom1608
fragment1609
boots1623
tick1631
worthy1649
earthlies1651
snap1653
pippin1665
being1666
personal1678
personality1678
sooterkin1680
party1686
worldling1687
human being1694
water-wagtail1694
noddle1705
human subject1712
piece of work1713
somebody1724
terrestrial1726
anybody1733
individual1742
character1773
cuss1775
jig1781
thingy1787
bod1788
curse1790
his nabs1790
article1796
Earthite1814
critter1815
potato1815
personeityc1816
nibs1821
somebody1826
tellurian1828
case1832
tangata1840
prawn1845
nigger1848
nut1856
Snooks1860
mug1865
outfit1867
to deliver the goods1870
hairpin1879
baby1880
possum1894
hot tamale1895
babe1900
jobbie1902
virile1903
cup of tea1908
skin1914
pisser1918
number1919
job1927
apple1928
mush1936
face1944
jong1956
naked ape1965
oke1970
punter1975
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame (Fairf. 16) (1878) l. 2069 And nat so sone departed nas That he fro him, thoo he ne mette With the thrid.
?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature iv. sig. Ev I am non other, but euen the very he.
1574 A. Golding tr. A. Marlorat Catholike Expos. Reuelation 25 The way, truth, and lyfe, and to be short, the only he that can saue vs for euer.
1652 P. Heylyn Cosmographie iii. sig. Ppp2 Who..challenged the proudest He of the Macedonians to a single combat.
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 308 He has shewed as much honesty and bravery of spirit as any he in Mansoul. View more context for this quotation
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. ii. xiv. 272 The best He in the Kingdom. View more context for this quotation
1794 W. Godwin Caleb Williams I. vi. 127 I will not put my estate to nurse to you, nor the best he that wears a head.
1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians II. v. 85 He—that great he—covers all.
1909 A. Kenealy Whips of Time xxvi. 233 I am not the only ‘he’ in the world.
2010 K. S. Landon Sudden Moves xvi. 82 Who was it? You said he! The only he that you talk to is Brad!
3.
a. In children's games: (the name of) the player who has the task of catching or touching any of the others; = it n.1 1a.In quot. 1810 in a counting-out rhyme.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > hiding or chasing game > [noun] > he or it
he1810
it1825
1810 Gammer Gurton's Garland iii. One-ery, two-ery, Ziccary zan; Hollow bone, crack a bone, Ninery ten:..Stick, stock, stone dead, Blind man can't see, Every knave, will have a slave, You or I must be He.
1863 Boy's Handy Bk. Sports i. 8 Touch is a very simple game... One of the ten or twelve..is chosen..to use the approved schoolboy expression..‘he’.
1900 E. V. Lucas & E. Lucas What shall we do Now? 113 The ‘He’ runs after the others until he touches one. The one touched then becomes ‘He’.
1902 Little Folks Aug. 113/1 Let's play ‘Touch last’. Look out, I'm ‘He’!
1924 W. de la Mare Ding Dong Bell 23 'Twas life's bright game And Death was ‘he’.
1969 I. Opie & P. Opie Children's Games ii. 64 We played He and I was had, so I had to be he.
b. A children's game in which one player has the task of catching or touching any of the others; = tag n.2 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > hiding or chasing game > [noun] > tag
tick1622
hide-and-seek1724
tag1738
tig1816
touch-last1825
touch1828
widdy widdy way1832
touch and run1844
tiggy1845
widdy1859
Tommy Touchwood1876
pom-pom-pull-away1883
pull-away1883
squat tag1883
stoop tag1898
he1900
it1969
shadow tag1969
1900 E. V. Lucas & E. Lucas What shall we do Now? 113 For a short time ‘He’ is a good warming game. It is the simplest of all games.
1937 K. Hull & P. Whitlock Far-distant Oxus ii. 40 It was not real hide-and-seek..but..a wild game of ‘he’.
2003 P. Granger Widow Ginger (Electronic ed.) We were soon playing hard, screaming up and down the stairs in a game of ‘he’.
C. adj. (attributive).
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a man or men or a male organism; male.
ΚΠ
1531 J. Vaus Rudimenta (new ed.) ii. sig. ddij The epicine gener it comprehendis baith the hie kynde and the scho kynde.
1700 A. Lane Key to Art of Lett. 29 All Nouns that are said of the he kind only, are of the Masculine Gender, as a Father, a Brother, a Son, &c.
?1717 J. Dunton Athenian Libr. i. 7 The He-Sex shall be made whole again by the addition of the Femality, or lost-Rib.
1826 London Mag. Mar. 318 Half the spectators would never suspect that the things with naked bosoms were of the he gender.
1859 W. D. Howells Let. Apr. in Sel. Lett. (1979) I. 31 After attending a he-party at the governor's.
1924 A. J. Small Frozen Gold vii That was one real bred-in-the-bone he-fight.
1986 C. McGlinchey et al. Last of Name x. 83 The she-kind has green berries all over it but the he-kind has no berries at all.
2007 N.Y. Mag. 8 Jan. 60/3 The male G-spot, a.k.a. the P-spot, a.k.a. the He-spot.
2. = male adj. 6.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > parts of tools generally > [adjective] > other types of part
male1585
female1776
self1776
he1816
she1816
1816 J. Welch Brit. Patent 4052 The claws or prongs of the he part received or inserted in the she part.
1882 W. J. Christy Pract. Treat. Joints made & used by Builders 50 Grooved and tongued joint.., a joint between two stones connected by a long he and she joggle.
1911 Sun (N.Y.) 19 Mar. iii. When an iron..water pipe was being laid..[t]he small or ‘he’ end was inserted in the hub or ‘she’ end.
1970 E. J. March Inshore Craft of Great Brit. II. vi. 241 Moulds were taken every 2 ft along the length, known as 'he' and 'she' moulds to shipwrights, one for the hog and one for the keel.
3. nonstandard (chiefly in African-American usage) and Caribbean. Used for the masculine third person possessive adjective; = his adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > owning > [adjective] > own > his, her, its, or their > his or her
hereOE
hiseOE
hers1555
himsc1700
him1780
he1833
his'n1895
1833 A. C. Carmichael Domest. Manners W. Indies II. xxiv. 290 They flour each other's black faces and curly hair, and call out, ‘look at he white face! and he white wig!’
1835 J. K. Paulding Lett. from South (new ed.) II. xli. 204 De gin'ral put he hand in he pocket an draw out a little bell.
1855 W. G. Simms Forayers i. 15 How tory guine fin' he way yer, Mass Willie?
1869 Putnam's Mag. Dec. 742/2 I tried to keep him wid me, whar I could stan' an' keep de sun off he head.
1920 Boys' Life May 14/1 Whin dat li'l black Mose go' outen de shanty at night, he keep' he eyes wide open, you may be shore.
1975 T. Callender It so Happen 10 He hard scruffy feet was ploughing up the sand underneath the tree.
2008 A. Ghosh Sea of Poppies 22 Hab got water topside, in he head?
Compounds
C1. attributive. (Usually hyphenated.)
a. Male.
(a) With reference to animals.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > family unit > [adjective] > male
hea1382
malea1398
Tom1833
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xlix. 14 Ysachar an hee asse [a1425 L.V. asse, L. asinus] strong.
c1450 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 571/24 Catta, a hecatte.
1509 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1884) V. 10 On he swan.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 50 The hie Salmonte haueng castne the meltis, and the sche salmonte the Rounis.
1626 F. Bacon Sylva Sylvarum §852 He-Lions are Hirsute, and haue great Maines; the She's are smooth like Cats.
1797 T. Bridges Homer Travestie II. 186 But something set her so agig She sent a monstrous great he-pig That swallow'd ev'ry thing he found.
1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd I. iii. ix. 248 A most tremendous he-bear hove in sight.
1846 in W. K. Northall Life & Recoll. Yankee Hill (1850) 102 Your fellow-countrymen..are not allowed to emigrate north of the Columbia River, on account of a raging he-calf who is of bla-ting on the other side.
1952 G. F. Hervey & J. Hems Freshwater Trop. Aquarium Fishes viii. 102 The mule (the offspring of a he-ass and a mare).
1999 Rising Nepal 23 Oct. 7/2 Cocks, ducks, goats, sheep and he-buffaloes are sacrificed in this festival.
2000 T. Clancy Bear & Dragon xxiii. 320 He didn't want to give the State Department puke the excuse to show who was the he-bull in this herd.
(b) With nouns denoting persons. Frequently derogatory, esp. when prefixed to a female designation.
ΚΠ
1579 W. Fulke Refut. Rastels Confut. in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 759 Be there hee Angels and she Angels also?
1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Vn Amoureux, a hee louer. Amoureuse, a shee louer.
1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Barbier, a hee barber.
1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo sig. Bv I'll be the hee one then, and rid thee soone Of this dull, leaden, and tormenting elfe.
1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes 2nd Pt. Don Quixote lxii. 423 Thou and thy Wife, with two of thy hee-friends, and two of her shee-friends.
1653 T. Gataker Vindic. Annot. Jer. 10.2 108 No pure Astrologer, but a meer Magitian, in plain English, an He-witch.
1665 S. Pepys Diary 11 June (1972) VI. 125 My aunt James, and he-cousin Harman.
1692 J. Washington tr. J. Milton Def. People Eng. viii. 183 You now make He-Saints, and She-Saints, at your pleasure, as if you were a true genuine Pope.
1694 P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 5th Bk. Wks. Pantagr. Prognost. 237 Ingles, Fricatrices, He-whores.
1735 H. Fielding Universal Gallant i. 6 A Woman..may speak to one of her Husband's He-Friends there.
1735 B. Franklin Reply to Advice 4 Mar. in Papers (1960) II. 24 His Case is like that of many other old He-Maids.
1813 T. Moore Intercepted Lett. iii. 8 A He-cook, of course!..ne'er keep a She-cook.
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 145 A..he-yankee, from ‘away down east’.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer III. iii. 73 Great he-fellows of footmen.
1836 Parl. Deb. 3rd Ser. 32 1201 The appropriate language of a noble Lord..who..said, ‘I have not risen to defend these he-pensioners, and she-pensioners, whom I find in this list’.
1863 Notes & Queries 3rd Ser. 4 301 The genus ‘he-flirt’, a race which is unhappily increased by the unmercenariness of mothers and chaperones.
1915 Lincoln (Nebraska) Daily News 30 Nov. 9/4 Those blue-bellied, fish-eyed, rat-toothed and perfumed he-hussies who write eastern football.
1924 D. Hammett in Black Mask Sept. 72/2 I found a book, and spent the next half-hour reading about a sweet young she-chump and a big strong he-chump and all their troubles.
1947 S. Lewis Kingsblood Royal x. 52 Why, you gold-digging, uncle-tomming, old, black he-courtesan!
1995 Time Out 6 Dec. 89/2 Cher adopts school newcomer Tai, teaches her how to be a ‘Betty’ (a she-babe), and falls for a ‘Baldwin’ (a he-babe).
b. With the names of plants, usually denoting plants considered to be of the male sex or perceived as having masculine qualities. Now rare. Cf. she pron.1, n., and adj. Compounds 1c. See also he-oak n. at Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1576 G. Gascoigne Princelye Pleasures Kenelwoorth (1821) 26 Mary there are two kinds of Holly, that is to say, He-Holly, and She-Holly.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §608 For the difference of Sexes in Plants, they are oftentimes by name distinguished; as Male-Piony, Female-Piony.., He-Holly, She-Holly.
1830 W. Billington Facts, Observ., &c. 55 He said there are He-oaks and She-oaks, (which is not correct, the oak being monœcious)... He also said the same of the ash, that there were He and She ash, which is true, being Diœcious.
1873 Dublin Univ. Mag. Dec. 670/2 The holly with, and the holly without prickles are known in Northumberland respectively as he-holly and she-holly. The leaves of the latter are held to possess supernatural power.
1915 National Geographic Mag. May 514 In some sections [of England] the prickly leaf and the non-prickly leaf species are designated as ‘she’ and ‘he’ holly.
2001 J. M. Rouse Hist. Legends & Folklore Christmas ii. 15 The English also mention the ‘he holly’ and the ‘she holly’ as being the determining factor in who will rule the household in the following year.
C2.
He Bible n. one (probably the first) of the two issues of the Bible printed in 1611, so called from its rendering of Ruth 3:15 (with ‘he’ instead of ‘she’); cf. She Bible n. at she pron.1, n., and adj. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > text > edition > [noun] > Authorized Version
King James Bible1631
Authorized Version1755
law-bible1833
A.V.1845
He Bible1877
She Bible1877
King James1886
1877 G. Bullen Caxton Celebration 158 Fine copy of the He Bible, with the woodcut title.
1878 H. Stevens Bibles Caxton Exhib. 109 This pair..we shall distinguish by calling the first the Great He Bible, and the other the Great She Bible, from their respective renderings of Ruth iii. 15.
1888 J. R. Dore Old Bibles (ed. 2) 329 A ‘He’ Bible used as ‘copy’ at one printing office, and a ‘She’ Bible at another.
1911 A. W. Pollard Rec. Eng. Bible iii. 72 The first edition of the translation is frequently called the He-Bible and the second the She-Bible.
2009 J. Lewis in D. G. Burke Transl. that openeth Window vii. 88 Weighty names have championed each side of the question. The contemporary view is that the ‘He’ Bible was the first.
he-goat n. (a) a male goat; (b) an unsavoury, obnoxious man.
ΚΠ
a1500 in G. Henslow Med. Wks. 14th Cent. (1899) 98 (MED) Take an hee whyt goot, and fed hym iii dayes with Iuy.]
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Dan. viii. A Then came there an hegoate from the west.
1657 G. Thornley tr. Longus Daphnis & Chloe 125 The he-goats..every one had his own wives.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 210 A most monstrous..He-goat,..making his Will, as we say, and gasping for Life, and dying indeed of meer old Age.
1821 London Mag. Dec. 598/2 May the devil cork me up in a stone bottle..if I don't carve up that old he-goat into relics!
1851 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 173/2 These are the thanks I get from the ungrateful old he-goat for having taken some of his people into my service.
1929 N. K. Smith tr. I. Kant Crit. Pure Reason 97 The ludicrous spectacle of one man milking a he-goat and the other holding a sieve underneath.
1999 L. Kennedy All in Mind iv. 76 Next the high priest chose two he goats.
he-male n. (a) (a) male; (b) a particularly virile man, a he-man.
ΚΠ
1834 Misc. Scrap Bk. 22 Nov. 94/2 All sorts of live stock, black, white, and mixed—he-male and she-male.
1842 Bentley's Misc. (Amer. ed.) 10 616 ‘Then a man's a he-male..?’ ‘Lar'! no; there ben't no zuch thing as a he-male, y'gawney!’
1897 Yorks. Weekly Post 8 May 16/3 A mollycot's awlus a he-male, an' if he isn't a bach'ler he's a member o' th' henpeck't club.
1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. He-male, a full shape of male, and resulting from calling female she-male.
1924 A. J. Small Frozen Gold vii He's such a great big he-male-masculine man.
2010 D.-M. Chabot Mangames i. 4 Pierre..comes with a storm of groans and growls. He comes like a he-male.
he-oak n. now rare any of several Australasian trees of the family Casuarinaceae; cf. she-oak n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > Australasian trees > [noun] > Australian or New Zealand oak
oak1789
she-oak1792
river oak1817
shingle-oak1818
New Zealand oak1835
swamp-oak1837
he-oak1844
river she-oak1872
forest-oak1882
bull oak1884
desert oak1896
1794 G. Thompson Slavery & Famine 18* There are two kinds of oak, called the he and the she oak, but not to be compared with English oak.
1844 L. A. Meredith Notes & Sketches New S. Wales xv. 142 The trees called by the Colonists ‘he-oak’ and ‘she-oak’ (Casuarina stricta and C. torulosa) form a remarkable feature in Australian scenery. They are usually of rather handsome forms... The he-oak has much shorter tresses than the she-oak.
1876 Forest & Stream 13 July 375/3 ‘Wattle’ in large variety, he-oak, she-oak, and very many others.
1959 B. Borg in J. Borg Cacti (ed. 3) 456 At San Antonio Gardens... three kinds of Casuarina, viz: the ‘He Oak’, the ‘Iron Wood of the South Sea Islands’ and the ‘Erect She Oak’.
he-she n. (and adj.) usually derogatory and offensive a person regarded as having both male and female attributes; a hermaphrodite, transvestite, or transsexual, (later) esp. a male-to-female transgender or transsexual person; (occasionally) a lesbian who adopts a traditionally masculine identity or appearance; also as adj.
ΚΠ
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) i. 13 Pope John-Joan..this He-She..is generally believed born at Ments.
1754 J. Shebbeare Marriage Act II. lii. 100 A He-she thing! a Disgrace to his Sex!
1799 M. Robinson False Friend II. 77 I make no doubt but you will shortly become a he-she philosopher; that you will pretend to inculcate new doctrines, on the potency of feminine understanding, and the absurdity of sexual subordination.
1877 Spirit of Times 15 Dec. 531/3 Riccardo, the he-she nightingale, is splendid in his female impersonation.
1964 H. A. Tyler Pueblo Gods & Myths iii. 81 The ultimate Zuñi god, A'wonawil'ona, is, like the Greek Phanes, a ‘he-she’.
2001 S. P. O'Connell Outspeak v. 172 Jess is a stone dyke who from an early age simply is a he/she, a woman who is masculine but not a transexual.
2001 J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand xxvi. 147 One guy beat Murder One. Said guy shivved a he-she at a drag queen ball. Said guy proved self-defense.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online September 2022).
hev.
/hiː/, U.S. /hi/ rare.
transitive. To speak to or of (a person, etc.) as ‘he’.
ΚΠ
1740 S. Richardson Pamela I. x. 17 I must he and him him now; for he has lost his Dignity with me.
1880 J. McGovern Empire of Information iv. 371 Our ‘he-ing’ and ‘she-ing’ of ships, rivers, etc., is undoubtedly a relic of our poetical traditions.
2009 P. T. O'Conner & S. Kellerman Origins of Specious viii. 138 I'm a she who has never got used to being called a he. I'll have more to say about this he-ing and she-ing business later in the chapter.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† heint.1
Obsolete.
An exclamation used to draw attention or express emotion.
ΚΠ
13.. K. Alis 880 He! fyle asteynte horesone! To misdo was ay thy wone.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
heint.2
/hiː/, U.S. /hi/ Repeated, as he, he, or in combination with ha, ha, etc.: A representation of laughter expressing a closer utterance than ha, ha, or ho, ho, usually affected or derisive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > exclamations of derision or ridicule [interjection] > representations of derisive laughter
he, hec1000
ho! ho! ho!1552
c1000 Ælfric Gram. (Z.) xlviii. 279 Ha ha and he he getacniað hlehter on leden and on englisc.
1567 Triall of Treasure sig. Eiii We, he, he, he, he, ware the horse heles I saye.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iv. i. 22 Howe nowe! interiections? why then, some be of laughing, as, ah, ha, he. View more context for this quotation
1675 W. Wycherley Country-wife ii. 28 Heh, he, he, he's my Wive's Gallant, heh, he, he.
1831 T. L. Peacock Crotchet Castle ii Pray, sir, what do you mean by Ha! ha!?.. Precisely, sir, what you mean by He! he!.. You need not dispute about terms; they are two modes of expressing merriment.
1854 W. M. Thackeray Rose & Ring vii ‘O, ho, ho! ha, ha, ha! he, he, he!’ And he nearly choked himself with laughing.
Derivatives
he-he v. to utter he he in laughter.
ΚΠ
1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs xxv. 93 This was said with much archness and he-he-ing.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
> as lemmas
H.E.
H.E. n. His Eminence, His (or Her) Excellency.
Π
1732 Let. 19 Feb. in Cal. State Papers: Amer. & West Indies (1939) 64 That H.E. and less than five of the Council could not hold Courts of Chancery.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair li. 453 H.E. Papoosh Pasha, the Turkish Ambassador (attended by Kibob Bey, dragoman of the mission).
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lxiii. 571 H.E. Madame de Burst received once a week.
1946 A. Koestler Thieves in Night 198 He thought that H.E. went indeed a bit far in demonstrating his dislike of the Hebrew community.
1970 Catholic Directory 43 (heading) Ireland. The hierarchy at the present time... Armagh. H.E. Cardinal William Conway.
H.E.
H.E. n. high explosive.
Π
1901 Daily Chron. 27 June 3/2 To introduce a very much larger proportion of H.E. shell.
1915 D. O. Barnett Let. 23 May in In Happy Memory 153 H.E. is the shell for attacking, because you blow the defenders out of their trenches.
1955 Bull. Atomic Scientists Feb. 55/3 The thoroughness of an atomic bombardment's ‘area coverage’ exceeds that of HE carpet bombing beyond comparison.
<
n.21895
pron.n.1adj.eOE
v.1740int.113..
int.2c1000as lemmas
- flowerbespangled
- flowerbesprinkled
- flowerbook
- flowerborder
- flowerbox
- flowerbreeding
- flowerbright
- flowerbud
- flowerbug
- flowercourt
- flowercrowned
- flowercup
- flowerdecked
- flowerdeluce
- flowered
- flowered silver
- flowerembroidered
- flowerenamelled
- flowerer
- flowerers
- floweret
- flowerets
- flowerette
- flowerettes
- flowerfaced