† heo dial. hoo, pers. pron., 3rd sing. fem., nom. Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: see below.
[OE. h{iacu}u, h{iacu}o, héo, fem. of he; = OFris. hiu. In Goth., OS., and OHG., the fem. of the parallel pronominal stem i-s, i-r, was lost and supplied by a form sî, siu, Ger. sie. A like substitution took place later in Fris. and Eng.; in the latter, the northern and e. midl. dialects about the 12th c. exchanged hio, heo, hyo, ȝho, ȝhe for the forms, northern sco, scho, sho, e. midl. scæ, sȝe, sche, she. But heo in various forms survived in the south and w. midl. as a literary word till the 15th c., and is still vernacular from Lancashire to Devon and Sussex, under the forms hoo, hŭh (the latter often mistaken for the objective her), ŭh, ŭ.]
The original feminine pronoun corresponding to he; the place of which is now taken by she. Used of women, and of animals or things grammatically feminine.
(α) 1 h{iacu}u, h{iacu}uu, h{iacu}o, héo, 2 hio, 2–5 heo, 2 hyo; 2–3 ȝho, 3 ȝeo, ȝo, ȝoe.
| 855 O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 718 Hio wæs forgifen Norþan hymbra cyninge. c 910 Ibid. an. 910 Heo ᵹeherᵹade swiðe micel on þæm norð here. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xv. 27 Soð hiu cweð [c 975 Rushw. G., & hiu cweþ; c 1000 Ags. G., ða cwæð heo; c 1160 Hatton G., ða cwæð hyo]. c 950 ― Mark x. 6 Hee and hiuu. c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. ix. 24 Hio slepeþ [Ags. G., heo slæpð; Hatton G., hyo slæpð]. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 111 Heo hi wernað wið drunkenesse. c 1205 Lay. 182 He wes king and heo quen. c 1300 Beket 24 The Princes heir heo was. c 1330 King of Tars 76 To god heo made hire preyers. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 5 ‘Loke on þe lufthond’, quod heo. c 1450 Myrc 396 That heo a-vow no maner þynge. |
| c 1200 Ormin 2037 Þe laffdiȝ Marȝe ȝho barr child Wiþþutenn weddedd macche. c 1275 Lay. 1149 Ȝeo was cwene [c 1205 heo wes quen] of alle wodes. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 436 Ȝoe was worþy to be ycluped, Mold þe god quene Vor al þe godenesse, þat ȝoe dude her to Engelond. a 1300 Fall & Passion 81 in E.E.P. (1862) 15 Al hir ioi was ago, þo ȝo him sei dei in rode..þat del, neuer such nas þer none..as ȝho makid an seint Jon. |
(
β) 1
h{iacu}æ, 1
h{iacu}e, 2–3
hie, 3–4
ȝhe,
ȝe,
hye.
| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xv. 23 Forlet hiæ forþon þe hiæ cæᵹeþ æfter us. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 822 Þa spræc Eue eft, idesa scienost, wifa wliteᵹost, hie wæs ᵹeweorc godes. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 161 Hie is þe heuenliches kinges dohter. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2626 Ȝhe kepte it wel in fostre wune, Ȝhe knew it for hire owen sune. c 1250 Old Kent Serm. in O.E. Misc. 29 Hye spac to þo serganz þet seruede of þo wyne. a 1275 Prov. ælfred 292 Ibid. 121 Swo hie ne þochte. a 1300 Fall & Passion 82 in E.E.P. (1862) 15 For to wep ȝe nad no mo bot iiii bitter teris of blode. c 1325 Lai le Freine 114 That hye nil, no hye ne schal. c 1330 Florice & Bl. (1857) 572 Ȝhe said anon right Ȝhe had i-waked al this night. |
(
γ) 1
h{iacu}, 2–4
hi, 4–5
hy.
| a 1000 Crist 559 in Exeter Bk., Hafað nu se halᵹa helle bireafod ealles þæs gafoles þe hi ᵹear-daᵹum..unryhte swealᵹ. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 223 Hi is ælra libbinde moder. Ibid. 227 Hi..warð mid cylde. a 1250 Owl & Night. 32 Me hi halt loþlich and fule. 1340 Ayenb. 26 Þeruore is hy doȝter of prede. Ibid. 28 Hi ys contrarious to þe holy goste. c 1460 Launfal 352 Sche badd hym aryse anoon; Hy seyde to hym, Syr gantyl knyght. |
(
δ) 2–5
he, 4
hey, 5
hee.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 103 Þa oðer sunne [is] forliger..þet is ihaten fornicatio. He buleð þene mon. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 159 Lusteð nu wich maiden..and hwat he hatte, and hware he was fet. a 1300 St. Michael 203 in Treat. Science, etc. (1841) 136 The sonne..sent a-doun hire hete..and of fersch water he draweth up the breth. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 413 Crist askid þo womman watir to drinke, and ȝitte he was an alien, for he was a Samaritan. a 1400 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems 229 Hey endetz shameliche Hey draweþ dredfulliche. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 1119 And thongede hurr' heyȝelyche..Þat hee had delyveryd hym. a 1450 Le Morte Arth. 584 Ther-for he dude on a Russet cote..And made heore self þo a Nonne. |
(
ε) 3–4
ha,
a.
| c 1205 Lay. 28219 Þa wile a [the queen] beoð aliue. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 136 Þus hwil ha [v.r. a] wiste hire. 1387 Trevisa MS. Cott. Vesp. D. vii. 29 b, He..prayede hys wyf þat hue wolde helpe..bote a dude þe contrary. |
(
ζ) 2–5
ho, 3–5
hoe.
| c 1175 Lamb Hom. 77 Þe sunne streonþ þe lome þet ho spret in to al þis wide worlde. c 1205 Lay. 42 He hoe [boc] ȝef þare æðelen ælienor. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 13 Ho wende from al hire kyn. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1001 Þe olde auncian wyf heȝest ho syttez. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) lxvi, Ho kissutte hur lord. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 376 In yche werk þ{supt} hoe wrouȝt. |
(
η) 4–5
hue.
| 1307 Elegy Edw. I, iv, Ich biquethe myn herte aryht..Over the see that hue be diht. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 562 While hue liuede alse. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. ii. 10 Ich was aferd of hure face, thauh hue faire were. |
(
θ) 5–9
hoo.
| a 1440 Sir Degrev. 686 Natheles hoo was wel paid. 1674 Ray N.C. Words 26 Hoo, he, in the Northwest parts of England most frequently used for she. c 1815 Lancash. Ballads & Songs 169 Hoo says hoo can tell when hoo's hurt. 1867 E. Waugh Owd Blanket 72 Th' mistress said hoo thought hoo'd suit 'em. |
b. Opposed to
he: female, feminine.
| c 950–1000: see he 7. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 337 Ay þou meng with þe malez þe mete ho-bestez. |