she Meaning, Definition & Usage

She pronoun

Etymology

OE. she, sche, scheo, scho, AS. seó, fem. of the definite article, originally a demonstrative pronoun; cf. OS. siu, D. zij, G. sie, OHG. siu, si, si, Icel. s&umac;, sja, Goth. si she, s&omac;, fem. article, Russ. siia, fem., this, Gr. , fem. article, Skr. sa, sya. The possessive her or hers, and the objective her, are from a different root. See Her.

Wordforms

singular nominative She; possessive Her or Hers ; objective Her; plural nominative They ; possessive Their or Theirs ; objective Them

Definitions

1. This or that female; the woman understood or referred to; the animal of the female sex, or object personified as feminine, which was spoken of.

   She loved her children best in every wise. Chaucer.

   Then Sarah denied, . . . for she was afraid. Gen. xviii. 15.

2. A woman; a female; -- used substantively. R.

   Lady, you are the cruelest she alive. Shak.

   ✍ She is used in composition with nouns of common gender, for female, to denote an animal of the female sex; as, a she-bear; a she-cat.