henchman
[ hench-muhn ]
/ ˈhɛntʃ mən /
noun, plural hench·men.
an unscrupulous and ruthless subordinate, especially a criminal: The leader of the gang went everywhere accompanied by his henchmen.
an unscrupulous supporter or adherent of a political figure or cause, especially one motivated by the hope of personal gain: Hitler and his henchmen.
a trusted attendant, supporter, or follower.
Obsolete.
a squire or page.
Origin of henchman
1325–75; Middle English
henchman, henshman, henksman, hengestman, Old English
hengest stallion (cognate with German
Hengst) +
man
man1
OTHER WORDS FROM henchman
hench·man·ship, nounWords nearby henchman
henbane,
henbit,
hence,
henceforth,
hench,
henchman,
hencoop,
hendeca-,
hendecagon,
hendecahedron,
hendecasyllabic
Example sentences from the Web for henchman
British Dictionary definitions for henchman
henchman
/ (ˈhɛntʃmən) /
noun plural -men
a faithful attendant or supporter
archaic
a squire; page
Word Origin for henchman
C14:
hengestman, from Old English
hengest stallion +
man; related to Old Norse
hestr horse, Old High German
hengist gelding