▪ I. † hi, hy, pers. pron., 3rd sing. fem. acc. Obs.
Forms: 1 hia, hea, hiæ, hiᵹ, (hio), 1–2 hie, 1–3 heo, 1–4 h{iacu}, h{yacu}, 2 hye, hyo, 2–3 ha, hoe.
[OE. hia, hie, etc., acc. of hiu, hio, heo, fem. of he, corresp. to OFris. hia; cf. Goth. ija, the form corresp. to which was already lost in OHG. and OS., and supplied by sia, mod.Ger. sie, from stem si-, se. In late OE. the originally distinct nom. and acc. began to be confounded under the forms hie, h{iacu}, hiᵹ, hio, heo; and in later times, though heo was the typical nom. and hi, hy the acc., the two cases were hardly distinct. Following the example of me, thee, us, and you, and like the other OE. accusatives of the 3rd pers., hia began in the 10th c., in north-midl. dial., to be supplanted by the dative hire, her. In the east-midl. dial. of the OE. Chronicle, this substitution was fully established by 1125; but the original acc. hi, hy remained longer in the west and south, being found in Layamon after 1200, and in Shoreham (Kentish) in the first quarter of the 14th c. During its obsolescence, another acc. form, hes, his, made its appearance in the south.]
= her (acc.); also refl. herself. Used of females, and with nouns grammatically feminine: cf. heo.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xxxix. 15 Ða ðe soecað sawle mine ðæt hie afirren hie. 835 Kentish Charter in O.E. Texts 447 ᵹif min wiif ðonne hia nylle mid clennisse swæ ᵹehaldan. a 900 Martyrology Ibid. 178 Se casere hio heht ᵹemartyrian. c 925 O.E. Chron. an. 919 [He] beᵹet þa burᵹ and him cirdon to mæst ealle þa burᵹware þe hie ær budon. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. i. 19, & nalde hea ᵹebrenge..ah he walde deiᵹlice forleitta hea [c 975 Rushw. G., & ne walde hie..wolde deᵹullice forleten hio]. Ibid. ix. 18 Onsett [þin] hond ofer hia..þæt hiu lifiᵹe [Rushw. ᵹesette hond þin ofer heo, & heo leofaþ; c 1000 Ags. G., Sete þine hand uppan hiᵹ, and heo lyfað; c 1160 Hatton G., Sete þine hand up on hyo, and hye lefeð]. c 950 Lindisf. G. Matt. xiv. 4 Ne is ᵹelefed ðe to habbanne hia [Rushw. hire]. Ibid. xv. 23 Forlet hia, forðon [hiu] cliopas æfter usiᵹ [Rushw. Forlet hiæ, forþon þe hiæ cæᵹeþ æfter us]. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 170 Gif he hy [peoniam] mid him hafað. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xiv. 4 Nys þe alyfed hi [v.r. hiᵹ] to wife to hæbbenne [c 1160 Hatton G., hy to wife to hæbbenne]. Ibid. xv. 23 Forlæt hiᵹ, forðam heo clypað æfter us [c 1160 Hatton G., Forlæt hyo, forþan hyo clypað æfter us]. a 1050 O.E. Chron. (MS. C) an. 1037 Baldwine eorl hi [ælfᵹyfe] ðær wel underfeng, and hiᵹ þær ᵹeheold. Ibid. (Laud MS.) an. 1048 ¶4 Se cyng..betæhte hy his swyster to Hwerwillon. a 1100 Ibid. (Laud MS.) an. 1075 Se cyng hi let bryngan to Westmynstre..and læᵹde hi wið Eadward kyng hire hlaforde. Ibid. an. 1100 Se arcebiscop Ansealm hi him bewæddade and siððan to cwene ᵹehalᵹode. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 223 Adam hi nemnede eua. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Unbindeð heo [þe asse] and leadeð heo to me. a 1200 Moral Ode 215 Þa þe godes milce secheð he iwis mei ha ifinden. c 1205 Lay. 42 He hoe [þe boc] ȝef þare æðelen ælienor. Ibid. 158 He heo wolde habben. Ibid. 3186 Ich heo [c 1275 hire, i.e. Cordelia] wulle þe biwiten & senden ha [c 1275 hire] þe in ane scipe. a 1250 Owl & Night. 29 Þe nihtegale hi iseȝ And hi biheold and overseȝ. Ibid. 939 And sat sum del and heo biþohte. c 1275 Passion our Lord 435 in O.E. Misc. 49 Þe rode..He ber heo on his schuldre. c 1315 Shoreham 102 Senne hys [i.e. is] swete and lyketh, Wanne a man hi deth. Ibid. 136 To healde hy [þe erthe] op hyt nys no ned. |
▪ II. † hi, hy, pers. pron., 3rd pl. nom. and acc. Obs.
Forms: see below.
[OE. hiæ, hie, etc., the original plural, nom. and acc., in all genders, of hé, heo, hit (see he), corresp. to OFris. hia; cf. Goth. nom. pl. eis, *ijôs, ija, acc. ins, ijôs, ija, the forms corresp. to which were already lost in OS. and OHG. and supplied by sia, and sie, sio, siu, mod.Ger. sie, from stem si-, se. Since OE. times, a like fate has befallen this pronominal form in Eng. Already in 10th c. the northern dial. occasionally used, as equivalent to hia, the demonstrative þá, tha, plural of the, that; before 1200, the cognate form þeȝȝ, they, adopted from Norse, had quite superseded hi, hia, nominative, in north-midl. (Ormin); the corresponding northern form was þai, thai. By 1300, þei, thei, they, had become the standard Nominative form in midland English generally; though her, hem, were retained in the possessive and objective till the 15th c. Before 1400, thei, thai are seen side by side with hi, hy, even in s.w.; and before 1500, hi, already confounded in form with its sing. he, hee, disappeared from literature; although in the reduced form ă it still lingers in s.w. dialect. The Accusative hi was lost sooner than the nominative; in the 10th c., in north-midl. dial., it began, like the other accusatives hine, and h{iacu} sing. fem., and on the analogy of the original accusative pronouns of the first and second persons, to be supplanted by its own dative heom, hem (see hem pron.); in the east-midl. dial. of the OE. Chronicle, hem had quite superseded hi before 1125; but in the west the acc. was used by Layamon after 1200, and in Kentish it was still Shoreham's form c 1315. When it disappeared in the south, it gave place, as in the fem. sing., to a form hes, his. q.v.; elsewhere it was succeeded by hem, which itself in course of time was displaced by them. Thus, they, them are the present sense-equivalents of hi nom. and acc.]
I. 1. Nominative case. = they.
(α) 1 hiæ, hia, (hea), hie, 2 hye, 2–3 hie.
| 805–31 Kentish Charter in O.E. Texts 444 æc ic bebeode minum æfterfylᵹendum..ðæt hiæ simle ymb xii monað..ᵹeᵹeorwien ten hund hlafa. c 825 Vesp. Psalter xxi. 18 Hie soðlice sceawedun and ᵹelocadon me. c 855 O.E. Chron. an. 755 Þa cuædon hie þæt hie hie þæs ne onmunden. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xlvi. 354 Ðonne hit tocymð ðæt hie hit sprecan sculon. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiii. 5 Þætte hia sie ᵹesene [c 975 Rushw. G., Þæt hiæ siæ ᵹesænæ]. c 975 O.E. Chron. an. 951 Þæt hie woldan eal þæt he wolde. c 1160 Hatton G. Matt. ix. 24 Hye teldan hine. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 51 Efter þan þe hie weren wuniende in ierusalem..þo hie forleten godes lore. c 1250 Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 33 Hie answerden and seyde, Lord [etc.]. |
(β) 1 hio, heo, 2 hio, hyo, 2–4 heo.
| 871–89 Surrey Charter in O.E. Texts 452 Þonne aᵹeofen hio þa ilcan elmessan to cristes cirican. a 900 Cynewulf Elene 166 (Gr.) Hio him andsware æniᵹe ne meahton aᵹifan. c 937 O.E. Chron. an. 937 Þæt heo [MSS. A., B. hie, C., D. hi] beaduweorca beteran wurdun. 971 Blickl. Hom. 199 Heo næfre swylc wundor ne ᵹesawon. Ibid. 249 Hio wæron ᵹefeonde mycle ᵹefean. c 1000 ælfric Gen. iii. 7 Hiᵹ oncneowon þa þæt hiᵹ nacode wæron. c 1160 Hatton Gosp. Matt. x. 1 Þæt hyo adrifen hyo ut [Ags. G. hiᵹ..hiᵹ]. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 223 Nare hio blinde ȝescapene. c 1205 Lay. 183 He wes king and heo quen, & kine-lond heo welden. 1258 Proclam. Hen. III, Þe treowþe þæt heo vs oȝen. a 1375 Joseph Arim. 282 Þenne þei seȝen Ihesu crist in þat ilke foorme, þat heo seȝen him..whon heo furst comen. |
(γ) 1 hi, hy, hiᵹ, 2–4 hi (i, y), 3–4 hii, 4 hy.
| c 887 O.E. Chron. an. 887 And hi cuædon þæt hie þæt..healdan sceoldan. 971 Blickl. Hom. 123 Þa hy þa up on þone heofon æfter urum Drihtne locodan. c 993 Battle of Maldon 19 Byrhtnoð..tæhte hu hi sceoldon standan. a 1000 O.E. Chron. an. 993 And hy þone ealdorman þær ofsloᵹon. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. ix. 24 Hi [v.r. hiᵹ] tældon hyne. Ibid. 32 Hiᵹ brohton him dumbne man. 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1137 Hi hadden him manred maked & athes suoren. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 219 To chiesen ȝief y wolden hare sceappinde lufie. Ibid. 223 I muȝon ȝecnowen eiȝðer god and euyl. Ibid. 225 Þa cweðen hi betwxe ham þat hi woldan wercen ane burch. c 1205 Lay. 2230, I funden [c 1275 hii funde] þa þreo maidenes. c 1275 Ibid. 3610 Hii [c 1205 heo] verde to one borwe. Ibid. 10314 Hii flowen forþ rihtes, þat i comen to þan Peutes. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 369 Hii rerde abbeyes & prioryes vor her synnes. c 1315 Shoreham 47 Ere hy thys ordre have, Me schel hy wel assaye Of that hy redeth that hy wel Ham conne aneye. a 1327 Pol. Songs (Camden) 214 To the kyng Edward hii fasten huere fay. 1340 Ayenb. 16 Hi byeþ heaued of alle kueade..be hy dyadliche, be hy uenial. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. i. 189 Aren no men auarouser þan hij Whan þei ben auaunced. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1014 Sory wer þey for hi ne miȝt hure pruwesse fulfille þore. Ibid. 2380 Y not how þay schul ascape þen, þat hy ne goþ to dede. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 110 Hy kepeþ here reule. |
(δ) 2–5 he, (4 hey), 5 hee.
| a 1175 Cott. Hom. 219 Hi wolde mid modinesse beon betere þonne he ȝesceapen were. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 91 Þa þet lond hefden he hit sealden. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 129 For þat þe he ne wuneð noht on hem, ne he on him. c 1220 Bestiary 351 Alle he [hertes] arn off one mode. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 16 To wyte, weþer he [= they] wolde pes, oþer heo nolde non. c 1300 Havelok 152 He wrungen hondes, and wepen sore. c 1325 Song Passion 24 in O.E. Misc. 198 Ne cuþen hey him nout cnowe. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 471 But oþer cures of Cristen þei coveten nouȝt to haue, But þere as wynnynge lijþ he lokeþ none oþer. c 1410 Chron. Eng. (Ritson) 33 Schep he heden ase hors gret. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 59 To the child her seruice profren he [rime vanyte]. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xlii. 76 And whanne they syen he Wolde not so..Of here vyandes thanne ȝoven hee. |
(ε) 2–4 ho.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 79 A mon..fol imong þoues, ho him bireueden and ho him ferwundeden. a 1200 Moral Ode 98 Nabbeð hi naþing forȝeten of al þet ho iseȝen. Ibid. 100 Al ho habbeð in hore write þet we misduden here. Ibid. 105 Hwi weren ho biȝeten, to whon were ho iborene? a 1250 Owl & Night. 66 And alle heo [Cott. MS. ho] þe driveþ heonne. c 1250 Meid Maregrete xx, Ho leiden honden hire upon. c 1275 Sinners Beware 136 O.E. Misc. 76 Þeos playdurs..Ho schule..In helle habben teone. ? c 1375 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems 239 For esye he comun al, esye ho ssuln wende. |
(ζ) 2–4 ha, 4 a.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Þus ha hine hereden. c 1205 Lay. 5365 Ha [c 1275 hii] leopen on heore feire hors. a 1225 Ancr. R. 44 Ower graces..alse ha beoð iwriten ou. c 1325 Poem Times Edw. II (Percy) xliv, Loke that ha fare wel Hors & eke man. 1387 Trevisa Higden i. lix. (in Morris Spec. 340) Þe kynges of Engelond woneþ alwey fer fram þat contray..& ȝef a goþ to þe norþ contray, a goþ wiþ gret help & strengthe. |
(η) 3–4 huy, 4 hui, hue.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 10/315 Þe croiz..deope under eorþe huy caste. c 1290 St. Brandan 669 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 238 An ester eue huy come. a 1300 K. Horn (Ritson) 1486 Hue gurden huem with suerde, Hue eoden..Towart the castele. a 1327 Pol. Songs (Camden) 214 That hue ne shulden aȝeyn him go. a 1350 Childh. Jesus 50 Ne dwelden huy nouȝt after ful longue Huy token with heom þat neod was. c 1375 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 230 Þe ȝates of parais..Aȝein hui beoþ nouþe open. |
II. 2. Accusative case. = them.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xvi. 13 Aris, dryhten, forecym hie and forcer hie. a 855 O.E. Chron. an. 787 Se ᵹerefa þærto rad, and hie wolde drifan to þæs cyninges tune. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. x. 1 Þætte hia fordrife ða ilco and hea ᵹeᵹeme all un-hælo. Ibid. 26 Ne forðon ondredes ᵹe hia vel ða. c 975 Rushw. Gosp. ibid., Ne forþon ondredaþ eow hiæ. c 975 O.E. Chron. an. 964 And [Eadgar cyng] sette hy mid munecan. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xx. 25 Þa clypode se hælend hiᵹ to him [c 1160 Hatton G., Þa clypede se hælend hyo to hym]. Ibid. xxiii. 5 Ealle heora weorc hiᵹ doð þæt menn hi ᵹeseon. c 1160 Hatton G. ibid., Ealle heore werc hyo doð þæt men hyo ᵹeseon. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 227 He hi ledde ofer se mid dreie fote. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 21 Þah ure an heofde idon eower alre sunne and he walde gan to scrifte and bi-reusien ha and forleten ha a mare. Ibid. 23 Þu scoldest heo biwiten al swa clenliche swa crist ha þe bitahte. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 51 Þe king..sende hie in to babilonie to þralshipe..and þat lond folc hem ouersette mid felefelde pine. c 1205 Lay. 309 To his sune he heo [c 1275 ham] draf. a 1250 Owl & Night 1518 Overswithe þu hi herest. c 1250 Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 33 Ha sente hi into his wyn⁓yarde. c 1315 Shoreham 14 He with-stent hi alle. Ibid. 16 The foend fondeth hy so. |
3. Reflexive and Reciprocal. Themselves; each other.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxxii. 27 Ða afirrað hie from ðe forweorðað. c 855 O.E. Chron. an. 540 And steorran hie ætiewdon. c 1000 Ibid. (MS.D.) an. 925 æþelstan..and Sihtric..heo ᵹesamnodon æt Tame weorðþige. c 1000 ælfric Exod. xviii. 7 Hiᵹ gretton hiᵹ ᵹesybsumum wordum. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. ii. 11 Hi [v.r. hiᵹ] aðenedon hi [v.r. hiᵹ], & hi to him ᵹebædon. c 1160 Hatton Gosp. ibid., Hyo aþeneden hyo, & hyo to hym ȝebæden. |
▪ III. hi pron.
occasional variant of he, heo.
▪ IV. hi, int.
(haɪ)
[A parallel form to hey.]
1. An exclamation used to call attention.
| ? c 1475 Hunt. Hare 136 Thei cryed, ‘Hy, hy!’ all at ones ‘Kyll! kyll! for kockes bownes!’ 1747 Gentl. Mag. 39 Hold, hold, 'tis a double; hark hey! bowler hye! If a thousand gainsay it, a thousand shall lye. 1847 Alb. Smith Chr. Tadpole xxx. (1879) 267 ‘Hi!’ cried the brigand, giving the mule a bang with the butt-end of his musket. ‘Hi!’ 1886 Fenn This Man's Wife ii. ii, It was not a thrilling word..it was only a summons—an arrest. Hi! 1894 ― In Alpine Valley I. 47 Here, hi! have a cigar? 1897 Daily News 2 Oct. 3/3 A good lunch, and then hi! for the Crystal Palace. |
2. A word of greeting. colloq. (chiefly N. Amer.).
| 1862 M. D. Colt Went to Kansas ix. 143 When out on the prairie, up galloped an Indian on his pony with his saluting ‘hi!’ 1885 ‘P. Perkins’ Familiar Lett. (1886) 33 We would have had to walk, I believe, if a man hadn't come along and let out the most satisfactory ‘Hi, there!’ you've ever heard, and stopped a car. 1920 F. Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise (1921) ii. i. 199 Alec: Hi, Amory! Amory: Hi, Alec! Tom said he'd meet you at the theatre. 1951 J. D. Salinger Catcher in Rye iii. 26 He..came in the room. ‘Hi,’ he said..like he was terrifically bored. 1953 H. Clevely Public Enemy xviii. 111 Tillic nodded to the uniformed commissionaire..and said: ‘Hi, Charlie,’ and they entered. 1959 I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. vii. 116 Hi, Roy Rogers! How about a date? 1963 H. Garner in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories 2nd Ser. (1968) 50 ‘Hi, Eric!’ shouted Pete Adams..from where he was standing at the drinking fountain. 1972 Wodehouse Pearls, Girls & Monty Bodkin ii. 28 A musical voice in his left ear said ‘Hi’. 1973 Black Panther 11 Aug. 2/2 (letter to editor), Hi, I've been following serialization of Operation Gemstone in the Panther Paper. |
▪ V. hi
(haɪ)
abbrev. of high a., freq. used in advertising and commercial slogans. (Cf. hi-fi.) Chiefly U.S.
| 1911 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Spring & Summer 179/4 Hi-up battery. A very powerful cell for all forms of ignition work. 1930 Engineering 10 Jan. 63/3 This embodies the form of motor known as the Hicycle motor, that is, an alternating current induction motor, using a supply of a frequency of 180 cycles to 200 cycles. 1959 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring & Summer 87/4 Hi-Society—a glamorous new idea in lipstick! 1963 Times 12 Mar. p. xii/4 A new use for ball and chain. Known as the Hi-ball method, 100 acres of lightly timbered country can be cleared in a day. 1972 Guardian 3 Feb. 13/4 Kids prefer ‘hi-riser’ bicycles..with their apehanger handlebars and their drag style saddles. |