*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hench

Variant of haunch.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 ↗
verb

To halt or limp.

noun

The narrow side of chimney stack, a haunch. · The side of an arch from the topmost part (crown) to the bottommost part (impost). · A limp; lameness.

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

Variant of haunch.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To halt or limp."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
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        "The narrow side of chimney stack, a haunch.",
        "The side of an arch from the topmost part (crown) to the bottommost part (impost).",
        "A limp; lameness."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Big, strong, and muscular. · Impressive, good, cool.

verb

To be a henchman or henchwoman, usually for a supervillain.

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

Clipping of henchman.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "henchman"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of henchman"
    }
  ],
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    [
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Big, strong, and muscular.",
        "Impressive, good, cool."
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "To be a henchman or henchwoman, usually for a supervillain."
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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 hench →

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
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-aGVuY2g