used to refer to a male person or male animal that has already been mentioned or is already known
“Where is Alex?” “He is already waiting outside.”
After winning the race, he raised the trophy and smiled broadly.
✦ Old English hē, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, related to German er and Dutch hij.
(dated or formal) used to refer to a person whose gender is unknown or not stated
If anyone needs help, he should press the call button.
Every student must submit he own report by Friday.
✦ Same origin as primary sense; generic masculine usage became common in 16th–20th centuries before being replaced by gender-neutral they.
used before a noun to show that something belongs to or is connected with a male person or animal already mentioned
His backpack is full of textbooks and notebooks.
The dog wagged his tail when its owner came home.
a word used after a verb or preposition to refer to something that belongs to a male person or animal already mentioned
This blue jacket is his, not mine.
The trophy on the shelf is his after winning the race.
the object form of “he”, used when a male person or animal is the object of a verb or preposition
I saw him at the park this morning.
Give the book to him when you’re done.
✦ Old English him, dative of hē (“he”), retained as the object form throughout Middle and Modern English.
used to refer back to “he” when he is both the subject and the object of the same action or after a preposition
He cut himself while chopping vegetables.
The boy admired himself in the mirror before going on stage.
✦ Old English him selfum, combining “him” (dative of “he”) with “self.” Over time the form became a set reflexive pronoun.
used to add emphasis, showing that the male person mentioned is the one who performs or experiences the action, often placed right after the noun or pronoun it emphasizes
The president himself answered the journalists’ questions.
He himself admitted that the plan had failed.
✦ Developed from the reflexive usage; by Middle English it was also used as an intensive pronoun for emphasis.
a unit of weight equal to 16 ounces, or about 0.454 kilograms
The recipe calls for one pound of strawberries.
He lost five pounds after a week of hiking.
✦ From Old English “pund,” ultimately from Latin “pōndo” (by weight).
