henchman
English · Thesaurus
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henchman
- /ˈhɛnt͡ʃ.mən/
Where it comes from
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”).
noun henchmen
-
A loyal and trusted follower or subordinate.
Similar: acolyte, adjutant, aide, bootlicker, disciple, flunkey, footman, satrap, follower, henchman, hireling, inferior
- A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests. The glib sophistries of the special pleader and the verdant gullibility of the public; the ridiculous, now happily fast disappearing partisan bias of the voter and the venal instincts of the political henchman; the lack of proper moral stamina in much of our public press, and the tardiness of practi
- An assistant member of a criminal gang. Johnny Genaro, chief of staff to Al Capone, was “put on the spot” in a crowded street in Chicago on Saturday night.
- A page to a prince or other person of high rank. Henchmen had placed, as was their habit, each warrior's gear and trappings above his pile of skins.
Translations
Every language
noun a loyal and trusted follower or subordinate
| Español | esbirro |
|---|---|
| Português | capanga class noun |
| Français | sbire, séide, acolyte, sous-fifre |
| Deutsch | Handlanger, Handlangerin, Scherge, Sbirre |
| Italiano | sbirro, seguace, sostenitore, accolito, complice, scagnozzo |
| Ελληνικά | μπράβος brávos |
| Русский | сторо́нник storónnik, после́дователь poslédovatelʹ, приспе́шник prispéšnik, побо́рник pobórnik, при́хвостень príxvostenʹ |
| العربية | ذَنَب ḏanab |
noun a person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests
| Deutsch | Anhänger, Anhängerin, Gefolgsmann |
|---|---|
| Русский | приспе́шник prispéšnik, сторо́нник storónnik, при́хвостень príxvostenʹ, подпева́ла podpevála |
noun an assistant member of a criminal gang
| Español | esbirro |
|---|---|
| Français | sbire, homme de main, gangster |
| Deutsch | Spießgeselle |
| Italiano | bandito, complice, malandrino, malavitoso, malvivente, gangster |
| Русский | шестёрка šestjórka, ма́льчик на побегу́шках málʹčik na pobegúškax, поде́льник podélʹnik |
Talk about this word "henchman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/henchman. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. henchman. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/henchman "henchman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/henchman.Cite this
@misc{henchman_2026,
title = {henchman},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/henchman},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
