henchman
/ˈhɛnt͡ʃ.mən/ noun
Forms henchmen
- noun A loyal and trusted follower or subordinate.
- noun A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests.
- noun An assistant member of a criminal gang.
- noun (obsolete) A page to a prince or other person of high rank.
Synonyms
acolyte adjutant aide bootlicker disciple flunkey footman satrap follower hireling inferior lackey lap dog lickspittle man Friday minion myrmidon poodle retainer right-hand man confederate collaborator partner in crime
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English henxman (“page, attendant”), from Old English *henġestmann, *hengstmann (“groom”, literally “horseman”), from henġest (“stallion, horse, steed, gelding”) + mann (“man”). Akin to archaic German Hengstmann (“groom”) and Icelandic hestamaður (“horseman, groom”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [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.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “henchman”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details