Adjacent Words

Henchman definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HENCH'MAN
HEND
HENDEC'AGON, n. [Gr. eleven, and an angle.] In geometry, a figure of eleven sides, and as many angles.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: someone who assists in a plot [syn: confederate, collaborator, henchman, partner in crime]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English henshman, hengestman groom, from hengest stallion (from Old English) + man; akin to Old High German hengist gelding Date: 15th century 1. obsolete a squire or page to a person of high rank 2. a. a trusted follower ; a right-hand man b. a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage c. a member of a gang

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -men) 1 a trusted supporter or attendant. 2 hist. a squire; a page of honour. 3 the principal attendant of a Highland chief. Etymology: ME henxman, hengestman f. OE hengst male horse

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Henchman Hench"man, n.; pl. -men. [OE. hencheman, henxman; prob. fr. OE. & AS. hengest horse + E. man, and meaning, a groom. AS. hengest is akin to D. & G. hengst stallion, OHG. hengist horse, gelding.] An attendant; a servant; a follower. Now chiefly used as a political cant term.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(henchmen) If you refer to someone as another person's henchman, you mean that they work for or support the other person, especially by doing unpleasant, violent, or dishonest things on their behalf. = heavy N-COUNT: usu poss N [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Retainer, follower, supporter, servant, attendant.

Moby Thesaurus

adherent, appendage, associate, attendant, bodyguard, buddy, buff, cavaliere servente, cohort, confidant, courtier, creature, crony, dangler, dependent, disciple, dummy, fan, figurehead, flunky, follower, following, gangster, gillie, goon, gunsel, hanger-on, hatchet man, heavy, heeler, homme de cour, hooligan, jackal, lackey, man, minion, myrmidon, parasite, partisan, public, puppet, pursuer, pursuivant, retainer, right-hand man, satellite, sectary, servant, shadow, sidekick, stooge, successor, supporter, sycophant, tagtail, tail, thug, torpedo, trainbearer, votary, ward heeler