He (hē), pron.
[nom. He;
poss. His (h&ibreve;z); obj. Him
(h&ibreve;m); pl. nom. They
(&thlig;ā); poss. Their or Theirs
(&thlig;ârz or &thlig;ārz);
obj. Them (&thlig;&ebreve;m).]
[AS. hē, masc., heó,
fem., hit, neut.; pl. hī, or hie, hig; akin to OFries. hi, D. hij, OS. he, hi, G. heute to-day, Goth. himma, dat.
masc., this, hina, accus. masc., and hita, accus. neut., and
prob. to L. hic this. √183. Cf. It.]
1. The man
or male being (or object personified to which the masculine gender is assigned), previously
designated; a pronoun of the masculine gender, usually
referring to a specified subject already indicated.
Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Gen. iii. 16. Thou shalt fear the Lord
thy God; him shalt thou serve.
Deut.
x. 20. 2. Any one; the man or person; -- used indefinitely, and usually
followed by a relative pronoun.
He that
walketh with wise men shall be
wise.
Prov. xiii. 20.
3. Man; a
male; any male person; -- in this sense
used substantively.
Chaucer.
I stand to answer thee,
Or any he,
the proudest of thy sort.
Shak. &fist; When
a collective noun or a class is referred to, he is
of common gender. In early English, he referred to a feminine or
neuter noun, or to one in the plural, as well as to noun in the masculine singular. In composition, he denotes a male animal; as, a he-goat.