DictionaryAI

his

HIZ/hɪz/

6 meanings of his

Practice

  1. 1
    determiner
    Belonging to or associated with a male person or animal already mentioned.

    My brother sold his car last week.

    The dog wagged his tail.

    UsageMatches the owner, not the thing owned: Tom and his sister. For a thing, use its.

    Note

    The everyday masculine possessive carries an old pointing word inside it. Proto-Germanic *hes meant "of this", the genitive of a word for "this one", and Old English his served for both "his" and "its". That double duty is why older texts give a thing the possessive now spelled its. Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic hans are close relatives.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

  2. 2
    that of a manpronoun
    That or those belonging to him, used without a following noun.

    Her handwriting is neater than his.

    That old coat of his needs washing.

    Note

    One form does two jobs. It stands before a noun as the possessive determiner and stands alone here, whereas the feminine splits her from hers.

  3. 3
    anyone'sdeterminerdated
    Generic 'his' for a person of unspecified gender ('each individual, according to his particular situation'), now often felt as dated or exclusionary.

    A writer should know his audience.

    It is our conviction that piecemeal critiques of nontheisms will not suffice. The theist must enter the arena with a positive and comprehensive case of his own.
    2003, Norman L. Geisler, Winfried Corduan

    UsageMany writers now prefer his or her, a plural, or singular they: everyone has their own reasons.

    Note

    A generic masculine that stands for anyone at all. Hume writes of "each individual, according to his particular situation", and a modern philosophy text still gives "the theist" "a positive and comprehensive case of his own".

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • David Hume wrote the quoted words in An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals. gutenberg.org

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    man's homepronouncolloquial
    The home of the man or boy in question, with place understood.

    The party is at his on Saturday.

    I left my jacket at his last night.

    UsageMostly after at, to or back to: at his on Saturday. In careful writing, say his place or his house.

    Note

    The stand-alone possessive with a noun silently understood: "back to his" means back to his place. It is the stand-alone possessive with the missing noun fixed by habit.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • “Back to his” means back to his house or home, with the noun understood. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 5
    after a namedeterminerarchaic
    Used after a noun in place of -'s to mark possession, especially after masculine names ending in -s.

    The title page reads 'Cornelius his tract'. (old use)

    He signed it 'Thomas his mark'. (old use)

    Note

    Here the possessive is spelled out as a separate word: "Sejanus his Fall", where modern English writes Sejanus's. It turns up chiefly after masculine names ending in -s, where an added -'s crowds the ending. Today it is a period effect, found on a title page or in a signature like "Ahab his mark". Any modern use is a deliberate archaism, not an alternative to the apostrophe.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • The historical his-genitive places a separate “his” after the possessor noun, especially one ending in -s. en.wikipedia.org
    • “Sejanus His Fall” is an attested work title illustrating this construction. gutenberg.org
    • The construction was especially associated with sibilant endings, where the ordinary possessive adds a syllable. cb45.hsites.harvard.edu
    • “Ahab his mark” is an attested illustrative example meaning “Ahab's mark”; the item attributes it to no particular signature or literary speaker. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 6
    determinerobsolete
    Used to mean its, of a thing without gender; now only where the thing is personified.
    Yee are the ſalt of the earth: But if the ſalt haue loſt his ſauour, wherewith ſhall it bee ſalted?
    1611, The Holy Bible, King James Version
    My ſtomacke could not well reach ſo farre: it is very much troubled to come to an end of that which it takes for his neede.
    1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of Drunkennesse”
    Note

    Older English had no separate neuter possessive; his served for neuter as well as masculine. In modern spelling, Palsgrave's verb in 1530 has "his roots and tenses", and the 1611 Bible's salt has "lost his savour". Read such lines as plain grammar, not as poetry. Personification is the only modern use left, as when the sun sends forth his beams.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

    • Earlier English used his as the possessive of both he and it. en.wikipedia.org
    • Palsgrave's Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse was published in 1530. openlibrary.org
    • Palsgrave used his for a verb in the passage rendered in modern spelling as “his roots and tenses”. en.wiktionary.org
    • The cited King James Bible edition dates to 1611. en.wikisource.org
    • The 1611 Bible describes salt as having “lost his savour”, with spelling modernized. en.wiktionary.org
    • These historical uses of his need not imply poetic personification. en.wikipedia.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of his apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Proto-Indo-European had a root meaning "this," which led to Proto-Germanic *hiz ("this, this one") and its genitive *hes ("of this"). From there came Old English his, meaning "his" or "its," and then Middle English his. Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic hans ("his") are related.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • A Proto-Indo-European root meaning "this" gave rise to Proto-Germanic *hiz, meaning "this, this one". en.wiktionary.org
  • Proto-Germanic *hes was the genitive of *hiz and meant "of this". en.wiktionary.org
  • Old English his descended from Proto-Germanic *hes and meant "his" or "its". en.wiktionary.org
  • Middle English his descended from Old English his. en.wiktionary.org
  • Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic hans, meaning "his", are cognates of English his. en.wiktionary.org