He (hē), pron. [nom.He; poss.His (hĭz); obj.Him (hĭm); pl. nom.They (t͡hā); poss.Their or Theirs (t͡hârz or t͡hārz); obj.Them (t͡hĕm).] [AS. hē, masc., heó, fem., hit, neut.; pl. hī, or hie, hig; akin to OFries. hi, D. hij, OS. he, hi, G. heute to-day, Goth. himma, dat. masc., this, hina, accus. masc., and hita, accus. neut., and prob. to L. hic this. √183. Cf. 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. Gen. iii. 16.
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve. Deut. x. 20.
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. Prov. xiii. 20.
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. Shak.
☞ 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.