He
He (hē) , pronoun
[Anglo-Saxon hē, masc., heó, fem., hit, neut.; pl. hī, or hie, hig; akin to OFries. hi, Dutch hij, Old Saxon he, hi, German heute to-day, Gothic himma, dat. masc., this, hina, accus. masc., and hita, accus. neut., and prob. to Latin his this. r183. Compare 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.
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve.
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.
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.
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.
He