/ hi; NAmE ; iː; i; strong form hiː/ pronoun , noun
■ pronoun (used as the subject of a verb)
1.
a male person or animal that has already been mentioned or is easily identified :
Everyone liked my father—he was the perfect gentleman.
He (= the man we are watching) went through that door.
2.
(becoming old-fashioned ) a person, male or female, whose sex is not stated or known, especially when referring to sb mentioned earlier or to a group in general :
Every child needs to know that he is loved.
( saying )
He who (= anyone who) hesitates is lost.
➡ note at gender
3.
He used when referring to God
—compare him
■ noun /hiː/
1.
[ sing. ] ( informal ) a male :
What a nice dog—is it a he or a she?
2.
he- (in compound nouns) a male animal :
a he-goat
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English he , hē , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hij .