- henchman
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b) A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests.
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henchman
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Henchman — Hench man (h[e^]nch man), n.; pl. { men} ( 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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
henchman — index abettor, coactor, coadjutant Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
henchman — mid 14c., hengestman, later henshman (mid 15c.) high ranking servant (usually of gentle birth), attendant upon a king, nobleman, etc., originally groom, probably from man + O.E. hengest horse, stallion, gelding, from P.Gmc. *hangistas (Cf. O.Fris … Etymology dictionary
henchman — *follower, adherent, disciple, partisan, satellite, sectary … New Dictionary of Synonyms
henchman — [n] follower abettor, accessory, accomplice, adherent, adjunct, aide, ally, appointee, apprentice, assistant, attendant, backer, backup*, bodyguard, coadjutant, coadjutor, cohort, collaborator, colleague, companion, deputy, fellow worker, flunky … New thesaurus
henchman — ► NOUN 1) chiefly derogatory a faithful supporter or aide, especially one prepared to engage in underhand practices. 2) historical a squire or page attending a prince or noble. ORIGIN from Old English hengest «male horse» + MAN(Cf. ↑man), the… … English terms dictionary
henchman — [hench′mən] n. pl. henchmen [hench′mən] [ME henxtman, hencheman < OE hengest, stallion (see HENGIST) + man: orig. sense prob. “horse attendant”] 1. Obs. a male attendant; page or squire 2. a trusted helper or follower ☆ 3. a political… … English World dictionary
Henchman — The word henchman (Germanic irregular plural: hench men ) referred originally to one who attended on a horse, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a (subordinate)… … Wikipedia
henchman — [14] Early spellings such as hengestman and henxstman suggest that this word is a compound of Old English hengest ‘stallion’ and man ‘man’. There are chronological difficulties, for hengest seems to have gone out of general use in the 13th… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
henchman — UK [ˈhentʃmən] / US noun [countable] Word forms henchman : singular henchman plural henchmen UK [ˈhentʃmən] / US a supporter of a powerful person, especially one who is willing to behave in an immoral or violent way … English dictionary
henchman — [14] Early spellings such as hengestman and henxstman suggest that this word is a compound of Old English hengest ‘stallion’ and man ‘man’. There are chronological difficulties, for hengest seems to have gone out of general use in the 13th… … Word origins
