"H" Word Origins

hippocampus

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek hippókampos ("horse" + "sea-monster"), named for its curled seahorse-like shape.

Hippocratic

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin Hippocraticus, from the name Hippocrates.

hippodrome

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek hippódromos ("horse" + "course/track"), via Latin and French.

hippogriff

Origin

From French hippogriffe, from Ancient Greek ἵππος (híppos, “horse”, English hippo-) + γρύψ (grúps, “griffin”).

hippopotamine

Origin

From hippopotamus + -ine.

hippopotamus

Greek

From Greek hippopótamos, literally "river horse" (híppos "horse" + potamós "river").

hippotaur

Origin

From Latin hippotaurus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόταυρος (hippótauros), from ἵππος (híppos, “horse”, English hippo-) + ταῦρος (taûros, “bull”).

hipster

Origin · 1920

From "hip" (fashionable, in the know) plus the suffix "-ster." First used in the 1920s, then reshaped in the 1940s from "hepster" to describe someone plugged into the latest jazz and fashion scene.

hiragana

Origin

From Japanese 平(ひら)仮(が)名(な) (hiragana).

Hiram

Hebrew

From Biblical Hebrew חִירָם (Ḥirám, "high-born"), possibly from Phoenician, or a shortened form of a name meaning "brother of the exalted."

Hirata

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 平田 (Hirata), literally "flat rice field."

Hirayama

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 平山 (Hirayama), literally "flat mountain."

hire

Old English

From Old English hȳr, meaning wages or payment for a service, going back to a Proto-Germanic root for "payment."

hireling

Origin

From Middle English hirlyng, from Old English hȳrling (“hireling, employee”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūʀijuling. Cognate with West Frisian hierling, Dutch huurling (“hireling, mercenary”), German Low German Hüürling, German Heuerling. By surface analysis, hire + -ling.

hirn

Origin

From Middle English hirne, herne, from Old English hyrne (“horn, corner, angle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hurnijā, from Proto-Germanic *hurnijǭ (“horn, corner, angle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-. Proto-Germanic *hurnijǭ is a diminutive form of *hurną, from which comes English horn. Doublet of hern.

Hiroko

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese ひろこ (Hiroko).

Hiroshi

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese ひろし (Hiroshi).

Hiroshima

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 広(ひろ)島(しま) (Hiroshima).

his

Old English

From Old English his, the old genitive form of he — it originally meant something closer to "of him" before it settled into today's possessive use.

Hisako

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese ひさこ (Hisako).

Hisashi

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese ひさし (Hisashi).

hiscock

Origin

Variant of Hitchcock.

Hispanic

Latin

From Latin Hispanicus, from Hispania, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula.

hispanicization

Origin

From Hispanic + -ization.

hispano

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish hispano, from Latin Hispānus, from Hispānia.

hispanophile

Origin

From Hispano- + -phile.

hispanophobia

Origin

From Hispano- + -phobia.

hispanophone

Origin

From hispano- + -phone.

hiss

Origin

Imitative of the sound itself — the word mimics the noise it describes.

hisself

Middle English

From Middle English his-self, his self, his-selfe, his-selven, his selfen; equivalent to his + -self.

historial

Origin

From Middle English historial, from Middle French historial (French historial) and its etymon Latin historiālis. By surface analysis, history + -al. Piecewise doublet of storial.

historian

Latin

From Latin historia ("story, history"), via Old French historien.

historic

Latin

From Latin historicus, from Greek historikós ("exact, historical").

historical

Latin

From Latin historicus plus the adjective suffix "-al."

historically

Origin

From historical + -ly or historic + -ally.

historiographer

Origin

From historiography + -er.

history

Latin

From Latin historia, from Greek historíā ("inquiry, knowledge gained by investigation"), ultimately from a root meaning "to know" or "to see."

histrionic

Latin

From Latin histrionicus, from histrio meaning 'actor', so literally 'of the stage'.

hit

Old English

From Old English hittan ("to meet with, come upon"), borrowed from Old Norse hitta ("to strike, meet"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to fall upon" or "to strike."

hitch

Middle English

From Middle English hicchen, meaning to move suddenly or jerkily; the exact origin before that is unclear.

Hitchcock

Origin

From the given name Hitch (a diminutive of Richard) plus -cock, a medieval diminutive suffix.

hitches

Origin

From Hitch + the patronymic suffix -s.

hitchhike

Origin

A blend of "hitch" (to get a ride) and "hike" (to travel on foot).

hitching

Origin

From a medieval diminutive form of Hitch.

hither

Old English

From Old English hider, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to here."

hitherto

Middle English

From Middle English hiderto, combining hither ("to here") with to.

Hitler

German

Borrowed from German Hitler; see German Etymology for further details.

hitman

Origin

From "hit," used as a slang term for murder, plus "man."