I.
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, gen. of hē he — more at he
obsolete
possessive of he I
II. _(h)iz, |hiz, _ēz adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, gen. of hē
1.
a. : of or relating to him or himself as possessor : due to him : inherent in him : associated or connected with him
a wise man who built his house upon the rock — Mt 7: 24 (Revised Standard Version)
the western ocean in one of the very worst of his moods — Cicely F. Smith
did he bump his little head
— compare he I
b. : of or relating to him or himself as author, doer, giver, or agent : effected by him : experienced by him as subject : that he is capable of
reading Shakespeare's histories as well as his comedies and tragedies
his promise
success attributed to his having been prompt
he ran his fastest
c. : of or relating to him or himself as object of an action : experienced by him as object
he awaited his confirmation by the senate
a secret combination against a person with the object of his hurt of injury — H.E.Scudder
d. : that he has to do with or is supposed to possess or to have knowledge or a share of or some special interest in
the boy who knows his baseball — David Dempsey
he enthusiastically supports his local symphony — American Guide Series: Minnesota
e. : that is especially significant for him : that brings him good fortune or prominence — used with day or sometimes with other words indicating a division of time
this was his day and the treat was on him — H.A.Chippendale
2. obsolete : its — used as late as the 17th century with no implied personification
if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? — Mt 5: 13 (Authorized Version)
3. archaic : 's — used after a noun or noun phrase in place of the possessive ending 's
at the tide of Christ his birth — Thomas Fuller
in George the First his time — W.M.Thackeray
Billy Bones, his fancy — R.L.Stevenson
III. |hiz pronoun, singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, gen. of hē
1. : his one or his ones — used without a following noun as a pronoun equivalent in meaning to the adjective his
if my brother had my shape, and I had his — Shakespeare
my dog is large and his is small
your eyes are blue and his are brown
— often used after of to single out one or more members of a class belonging to or connected with a particular male person or animal
a friend of his
four or five books of his
or merely to identify something or someone as belonging to or connected with a particular male person or animal without any implication of membership in a more extensive class
that overbearing manner of his
those big feet of his
2. : something that belongs to him : what belongs to him
all that is his is hers
IV. abbreviation
history