"H" Word Origins

hereabout

Origin

From here + about.

hereabouts

Origin

From hereabout plus the adverbial -s ending, similar to "always" or "besides."

hereabove

Origin

From here + above.

hereafter

Old English

From Old English hēræfter, literally "here" plus "after."

hereagainst

Origin

From here + against.

hereat

Origin

From Middle English her-att; here + at.

hereby

Origin

From here plus by, literally "by this."

hereditarily

Origin

From hereditary + -ly.

hereditary

Latin

From Latin hērēditārius, from hērēditās ("inheritance"), from hērēs ("heir").

heredity

Latin

From Latin hērēditās ("condition of being an heir"), from hērēs ("heir"), via French heredité.

Hereford

Old English

From Old English here ("army") plus ford, describing a river crossing used by an army.

herein

Old English

From Old English hērinne, literally "here" plus "in."

heresiarch

Origin

Borrowed from French hérésiarque, from Ecclesiastical Latin haeresiarcha (or directly from the Latin word), from ecclesiastical Byzantine Greek αἱρεσιάρχης (hairesiárkhēs, “leader of a sect”), from Ancient Greek αἵρεσῐς (haíresĭs, “heresy”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-ắrkhēs, “leader, ruler”), corresponding to heresy + -arch.

heresy

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek hairesis ("choice, school of thought"), via Old French heresie and Latin haeresis.

heretic

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek hairetikós ("able to choose"), via Old French eretique.

heretical

Medieval Latin

From heretic plus the adjective suffix -al, via Medieval Latin haereticālis.

hereto

Middle English

From here plus to, formed in Middle English.

heretofore

Origin

From Middle English heretoforn, equivalent to here (“here”) + toforn (“before”), from Old English tōforan (“before”). More at here, tofore.

hereunto

Origin

From here + unto.

herewith

Old English

From Old English herwiþ, literally "here" plus "with."

heritable

Origin

Inherited from Middle English heritable, from Anglo-Norman heritable; equivalent to herit + -able.

heritage

Latin

From Old French eritage/heritage, ultimately from Latin hērēs ("heir").

Herman

Old English

From Old English here ("army") and man, later reinforced by the German equivalent Hermann as European immigrants brought it to America.

Hermann

German

The German form of Herman, from Old High German roots meaning "army man".

hermaphrodite

Origin

From Hermaphroditus, the mythical child of Hermes and Aphrodite who merged bodies with a water nymph and gained both male and female characteristics.

Hermes

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Hermês, a name of disputed and possibly pre-Greek origin.

hermetic

Origin

From Medieval Latin hermeticus, irregular derivation of Hermes Trismegistus, the god and mythological alchemist, said to possess a magic ability to seal treasure chests so that nothing could access their contents.

Hermia

Origin

Popularized by the character Hermia in Shakespeare's comedy.

hermie

Origin

A casual shortening, from "hermit" or as a pet form of Herman/Hermione.

Hermione

Ancient Greek

From the Ancient Greek name Hermione, ultimately related to the god Hermes.

hermit

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek erēmítēs ("person of the desert"), via Old French eremite and Late Latin eremita.

hermitage

Late Latin

From Old French ermitage/hermitaige, from Late Latin erēmīta ("hermit").

hern

Origin

From Middle English herne, hyrne, from Old English hyrne (“corner”), from Proto-Germanic *hurnijō, *hurnijǭ (“projecting point, corner, angle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“horn”). Doublet of hirn. Further related to horn.

Hernandez

Spanish

From the Spanish given name Hernando, a variant of Fernando (Ferdinand).

herne

Origin

Unknown. Suggested by R. Lowe Thompson to derive from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“horn”), which would mean it is related to English horn. Others have suggested that it comes from Old English Herian (literally “warrior-leader”), which is a name for Woden. Another theory is that it derives from the surname Horne.

hernia

Latin

Borrowed directly from Latin hernia, meaning a protruding organ.

hero

Latin

From Old French heroes, ultimately from Latin hērōs, borrowed from Greek hḗrōs ("demi-god, hero").

Herod

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Ἡρῴδης (Hērōídēs).

heroic

Latin

From Latin hērōicus, itself from Greek hērōïkós — built from hero plus the adjective ending "-ic."

heroin

German · 1890

Coined in German in the 1890s as Heroin, originally a brand name, built from Greek hḗrōs ("hero") plus the chemical suffix "-in." It was marketed as a supposedly "heroic," powerful cure for coughs and pain before its addictiveness became clear.

heroine

Latin

From Latin hērōīna, from Greek hērōḯnē, the feminine form of hḗrōs ("hero").

heroism

French

From French héroïsme, formed from hero plus the noun suffix "-ism."

herolike

Origin

From hero + -like.

heron

Middle English

From Middle English heron, via Anglo-Norman heiron, tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root that is likely imitative of the bird's harsh screeching call.

herpes

Greek

From Greek hérpēs, literally "a creeping," from hérpein ("to creep") — a reference to how the blisters spread across the skin.

herpetology

Origin

Derived from French herpétologie, from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν (herpetón, “reptile”) + -logie (suffix indicating a field of study or work), equivalent to herpet- + -logy.

Herr

German

From the German word Herr, meaning "gentleman" or "sir."

Herrick

Old Norse

* As an English surname, from Old Norse Eiríkr. * As a Dutch surname, from an assimilated Dutch form of Henry (also see Henrick), or from the Germanic elements *harjaz (“army”) + *rīks (“ruler”). * As an Irish surname, from Ó hEirc, "descendant of Earc," from earc (“speckled”). Compare Harkin from Ó hEarcáin.