Word
henry
Phoneticshen·ry
US/ˈhɛnɹi/
UK/hˈɛnɹi/
Definitions
01a male name
n. a common traditional name for a man.
n. a male given name of Germanic origin, historically significant and widely used in English-speaking countries.
“Henry was the name of eight different kings of England.”
“The name Henry saw a significant resurgence in popularity during the early twenty-first century, frequently appearing in top-ten lists for newborn boys.”
04a vacuum cleaner
n. a popular brand of vacuum cleaner in the UK that has a face drawn on it.
n. A common brand of canister vacuum cleaner manufactured by Numatic International, often used as a genericized trademark in British households.
“I need to get the Henry out and clean the rug before the guests arrive.”
“The Henry vacuum cleaner is renowned for its durability and iconic smiling face, making it a staple in both domestic and commercial cleaning.”
British English · Informal
05a small amount of drugs
n. a slang term for a specific small weight of marijuana.
n. A slang term for an eighth of an ounce of marijuana, derived from rhyming slang for King Henry the Eighth.
“He went to meet his friend to pick up a Henry for the weekend.”
“In certain urban dialects, the term Henry remains a standard coded reference for purchasing small quantities of cannabis.”
British English · Slang
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“In 1171, Henry II of England invaded Ireland , marking the beginning of 800 years of British rule over the island.” Etymology
From Middle English Henry, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) Henri, from Frankish Haimrik, from Proto-Germanic Haimarīks. Cognate with German Heinrich, Dutch Hendrik, Estonian Hendrik, and Old Norse Heimríkr (Danish Henrik).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
John Henry — One's signature.