Etymology

henchman

H4E1N1C3H4M3A1N1

Today it means: A loyal and trusted follower or subordinate. Full definition →

Middle English henxman ← Old English *henġestmann ← Proto-West Germanic *mann
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic*hangistaz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*hangist
  3. Old Englishhenġest
  4. Proto-Indo-European*mon-
  5. Proto-Germanic*mann-
  6. Proto-West Germanic*mann
  7. Old Englishmann
  8. Old English*henġestmann
  9. Middle Englishhenxman
  10. English todayhenchman

Inherited from Middle English henxman (“page, attendant”), from Old English *henġestmann, *hengstmann (“groom”, literally “horseman”), from henġest (“stallion, horse, steed, gelding”) + mann (“man”). Akin to archaic German Hengstmann (“groom”) and Icelandic hestamaður (“horseman, groom”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.