harry

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“
In the very high German _heri_ meant an army or host; hence our word harry and, with a suffix, herring.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. transitive verb To disturb or distress by or as if by repeated attacks; harass. See Synonyms at harass.
  2. transitive verb To raid, as in war; sack or pillage.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

Used in the same contextWord Family

harry:   Harry ·  harried
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English harien, from Old English hergian; see koro- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. (1) from Middle English haryen, harien, herien (as modern harrow, from Middle English harwen, herwen), earlier herʒien, from Anglo-Saxon hergian (= Old High German harjōn, herjōn, fir-herjōn, Middle High German hern, ver-hergen, ver-hern, German ver-heeren = Icelandic herja = Swedish härja = Danish hærje, hærge), lay waste, ravage, harry, literally overrun with an army, from here, an army, in particular the enemy, = Old Saxon heri = OFries. hiri, here = Dutch heer, heir = Middle Low German (in comp.) here-, her- (here-strate, her-getoch) = Old High German heri, hari, Middle High German here, German heer = Icelandic hēre (for heri) = Swedish här = Danish hær = Gothic (Moesogothic) harjis, a host, army, = Old Bulgarian kara, strife, = Lithuanian karas, war, = Lettish karsch, war, tumult, = Old Prussian karjis, army; cf. Zend kāra, army. The Anglo-Saxon here, an army, host, is lost in English, but is represented by various derivatives and compounds, namely, harry and its doublet harrow, heriot, herring, and, indirectly, harbor, herald, the proper name Harold, etc. (2) With this verb of Anglo-Saxon origin is mixed another of French origin, of similar form and related meaning, namely, Middle English haryen, harien (modern English also hare), from Old French harier, harer, draw, drag.
  2. Said to be so named from King Harry or Henry VIII.
 

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/ˈhærl/
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