English word origin

Etymology of hes

From he's via a reduction of the apostrophe.

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 3

Original entry ↗

contraction

Alternative form of he's.

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

From he's via a reduction of the apostrophe.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "he's",
      "he's#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "contraction",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of he's."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "contraction",
        "informal",
        "nonstandard"
      ],
      "recordId": "393995af2570eb8a3df411bd3121909fcece9f7905bcd54bb15c7a07ab091431",
      "rawRecordSha256": "097829da76392a837cd0aab93460faf46f258aa499167dd798c515ee621ecdef",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2132058
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

pron

The person of unspecified gender previously mentioned or implied.

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

A mixture of she and he. Coined by Ching Hai in 1990s.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "she",
      "she#English"
    ],
    [
      "he",
      "he#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "The person of unspecified gender previously mentioned or implied."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "gender-neutral",
        "neologism",
        "nominative",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ],
      "recordId": "c3ed8c1f90a4cd360f85af131eed8904141231f98e144b4a864a21a1b0ab462e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a99eb49d8d1601a5c1bec58617621600fc91f6ea956a051ca6125821f26f58bd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2132060
    }
  ],
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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 hes →

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-aGVz