English
he
He comes from Middle English he, from Old English hē, from Proto-Germanic *hiz ‘this’, from PIE *ḱís ‘this’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱís‘this’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hiz‘this’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hiʀreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hē
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500he
- Englishearliest quotation 1620he
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱís‘this’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hiz‘this’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hiʀreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hē
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500he
- Englishearliest quotation 1620he
Earliest quotation: 1620, Giovanni Bocaccio, The Decameron: “[…]purſued his vnneighbourly purpoſe in ſuch ſort: that hee…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱís ‘this’
through Proto-Germanic *hiz ‘this, this one’
his, him, her, here, hence, hitherto, hither
through Old English hē
Today it means
pron A person who identifies as male, or animal already known or implied.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.