*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of H

From Latin H, from Ancient Greek Η (Ē).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
num

The eighth numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script.

adj

Abbreviation of hard, in reference to a grade of pencil lead. · Abbreviation of high, in reference to a dialect's social status. · Abbreviation of hinged. · Abbreviation of horrific, a former film classification.

character

The eighth letter of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script.

noun

Abbreviation of hits. · Abbreviation of heroin. · Abbreviation of half-year. · A grade of pencil with lead that makes darker marks than a pencil of grade 2H; a pencil with hard lead.

name

A hypothetical source proposed to underlie the Holiness Code and to have influenced various other parts of the Torah.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin H, from Ancient Greek Η (Ē).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Cognate mentionHla
  • Cognate mentionΗgrc

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "H"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin H"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "Η"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Η (Ē)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "H",
      "H#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Η",
      "Η#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "num",
      "glosses": [
        "The eighth numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script."
      ],
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        "uppercase"
      ],
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      "pos": "adj",
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        "Abbreviation of hard, in reference to a grade of pencil lead.",
        "Abbreviation of high, in reference to a dialect's social status.",
        "Abbreviation of hinged.",
        "Abbreviation of horrific, a former film classification."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "not-comparable",
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "a6237bab552a26ceecbef050bf8bde4a29edb063940d5aa05e54ed6bc319a88a",
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        "The eighth letter of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script."
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        "uppercase"
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 326749
    },
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of hits.",
        "Abbreviation of heroin.",
        "Abbreviation of half-year.",
        "A grade of pencil with lead that makes darker marks than a pencil of grade 2H; a pencil with hard lead."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "uncountable",
        "usually",
        "slang",
        "UK"
      ],
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    },
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      "glosses": [
        "A hypothetical source proposed to underlie the Holiness Code and to have influenced various other parts of the Torah."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adv

Synonym of AH: in the year of the Hegira, used to mark dates employing the Islamic calendar.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Calque of Arabic هـ (h-)

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Calque mentionهـar
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "calque",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "هـ"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Arabic هـ (h-)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "هـ",
      "ه#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of AH: in the year of the Hegira, used to mark dates employing the Islamic calendar."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "8be39072fbb7b55165625303a7bcb3e4259067fa67b1c758432fe3a11154e86a",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Pornographic in a way characteristic of hentai.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese H, alternative form of エッチ (etchi), in turn from English H as an abbreviation of Japanese 変態 (hentai, “pervert”). A doublet of ecchi (“erotic, lascivious”) and hentai (“pornographic anime, manga, etc.”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionHja
  • Derivation mentionHen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "H",
        "tr": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese H"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "H"
      },
      "expansion": "English H"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "doublet"
      },
      "expansion": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "H",
      "H#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "エッチ",
      "エッチ#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "H",
      "H#English"
    ],
    [
      "変態",
      "変態#Japanese"
    ],
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      "ecchi",
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    ],
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      "hentai",
      "hentai#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for H →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-SA