Etymology From Middle English him, from Old English him, from Proto-Germanic *himmai (“to this, to this one”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian him (“him”), West Frisian him (“him”), Sylt North Frisian ham, höm (“him”), Dutch hem (“him”), German Low German hum, hüm, em (“him”), German ihm (“him”, dative).
She was in no humour for conversation with anyone but himself; and to him she had hardly courage to speak.1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
3
Objective, Personal, Pronoun With accusative effect or as a direct object.
‘He's got it buttoned in his breast. I saw him put it there.’1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:
Apon a daye apoynted, the kynge arayed hym in royall apparell, and set hym in his seate, and made an oracion unto them.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:
Though poor the peasant’s hut, his feasts though small, He sees his little lot the lot of all; [...] But calm, and bred in ignorance and toil, Each wish contracting, fits him to the soil.1765, Oliver Goldsmith, The traveller, or, A prospect of society:
7
Objective, Personal, Pronoun With nominative effect: he, especially as a predicate after be, or following a preposition.
Before my body, I throw my warlike Shield: Lay on Macduffe, And damn'd be him, that first cries hold, enough.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene x]:
Lowe quit the West Wing last year amid rumours that he was unhappy that his co-stars earned more than him.2003 June 11, Claire Cozens, The Guardian:
8
Objective, Personal, Pronoun, Slang A person of elevated skill at a sport, game, or other activity.
Stop trying that, you're not him bro.
Bro thinks he's him.
2 more examples
They must have amnesia, they forgot that I'm him.2023, PLUMMCORP RECORDS, 0:33 from the start, in dracula flow 3:
Watched this one live, he randomly got it less than an hour into the stream while derusting for PACE. He's just him.2023 October 25, u/baggypantsman, “Super Mario 64 - 0 Star in 6:16 by Suigi”, in Reddit, r/speedrun, archived from the original on 23 Dec 2023:
54 termsIme, me, myselfmemysen, mine, mymineme, we, us, ourselvesourselfoursen, oursourn, our, you, yourselfyoursen, yoursyourn, your, thou, thee, thyselftheeselfthysen, thine, thythine, youye, yourselves, you ally'all you guys yous, y'allselves, all yours y'all's you guys' your guys', all your y'all's your all's you guys' your guys', he, himselfhisselfhissen, hishisn, his, she, her, herselfhersen, hershern, ithit, itselfhitself, itshis, itshishits, they, them, themself, themselves, theirs, their, one, oneself, –, one's, themhem, 'em, themselvestheirsen, theirstheirn, The following table shows a list of English personal pronoun, including archaic and dialectal forms. Dialectal and obsolete, archaic forms are in italics. 1 See Appendix:English third-person singular pronouns for attested neopronoun.
him
noun
Etymology From Middle English him, from Old English him, from Proto-Germanic *himmai (“to this, to this one”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian him (“him”), West Frisian him (“him”), Sylt North Frisian ham, höm (“him”), Dutch hem (“him”), German Low German hum, hüm, em (“him”), German ihm (“him”, dative).
[…] daring dizzying passages in other, fleeting and passionate dwellings within the hims and hers whom she inhabits […]1985, Hélène Cixous, Sorties (translated)
2 more examples
Both hims took a good look at him.2004, Tom Wolfe, I Am Charlotte Simmons: A Novel:
By this time, she had so many questions, but she only hit him up for one answer about those “hims” and “hers.” She asked, “Do both hims and hers reproduce hummers?”2004, Charles J. Sullivan, Love and Survival, page 68:
Him
pron
1
Honorific Honorific alternative letter-case form of him, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.
☐ Try a conversational journaling approach, where you talk with God about what you are learning and write what you 'hear' Him saying to you (see Appendix 1 for examples)2015, Helen Calder, “Consider a Fresh Approach to Bible Study”, in Deeper: 6 Steps to Greater Intimacy with God and His Word, David McCracken Ministries, →ISBN, page 41: