Skip navigation.

he - What does it mean?

Definition of 'he'

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) . Related to (l).

Pronoun

  • (personal) A male person or animal already known or implied.
  • * July 18 2012 , Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises [http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-dark-knight-rises-review-batman,82624/]
  • Though Bane’s sing-song voice gives his pronouncements a funny lilt, he doesn’t have any of the Joker’s deranged wit, and Nolan isn’t interested in undercutting his seriousness for the sake of a breezier entertainment.
  • A person whose gender is unknown.
  • (personal) An animal whose gender is unknown.
  • Usage notes
    * He'' was traditionally used as both a masculine and a gender-neutral pronoun, but since the mid 20th century generic usage has often been considered sexist and limiting.''When Words Collide: A Media Writer's Guide to Grammar and Style'' (2007, ISBN 0495050253) It is deprecated by some style guides, such as ''Wadsworth''.''The Pocket Wadsworth Handbook, 2009 MLA Update Edition'' (ISBN 1439081816), page 81: [A]void using the generic ''he'' or ''him'' when your subject could be either male or female. [...] Sexist:''' Before boarding, each passenger should make certain that he has his ticket. / '''Revised: Before boarding, passengers should make certain that they have their tickets. In place of generic ''he'', writers and speakers may use (m), alternate ''he and (m) as the indefinite person in their work, use the singular (m), or rephrase their sentences to use plural (m).
    Synonyms
    * (person whose gender is unknown) he or she, * (animal whose gender is unknown) it
    Quotations
    * (seeCites)
    References

    Noun

    (s)
  • (lb) The game of tag, or it, in which the player attempting to catch the others is called "he".
  • (informal) A male person.
  • Alex totally is a he .

    Etymology 2

    Transliteration of various Semitic letters, such as Phoenician .

    Alternative forms

    * hay * hei * hey

    Noun

  • The name of the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
  • * 1658', The same number in the Hebrew mysteries and Cabalistical accounts was the character of Generation; declared by the Letter '''''He'' , the fifth in their Alphabet — Sir Thomas Browne, ''The Garden of Cyrus (Folio Society 2007, p. 210)
  • See also
    *

    Statistics

    *

    Similar to 'he'

    hoe, hue, hie, hee, hye