Harry

See also: harry

English

Etymology

Medieval English spoken form of Old French Henri.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: hărʹ-ē, IPA^(key): /ˈhæɹi/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -æɹi
• (General American) enPR: hărʹē
  • (without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈhæɹi/

    • Audio (US, without the Mary–marry–merry merger):

      (file)

    • Rhymes: -æɹi
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹi/, [ˈhɛɹi], [ˈheɹi]
  • Homophone: harry
  • Homophones: hairy, herry (only in accents with the Mary-marry-merry merger)

Proper noun

Harry (plural Harrys or Harries)

1. A male given name
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:

     Yet weep that Harry's dead, and so will I; / But Harry lives that shall convert those tears / By number into hours of happiness.

   • 1830, Mary Russell Mitford, Our Village: Fourth Series: Cottage Names::

     Henry now, what a soft swain your Henry is! the proper theme of gentle poesy; a name to fall in love withal; devoted at the font to song and sonnet, and the tender passion; a baptized inamorato; a christened hero. Call him Harry, and see how you ameliorate his condition. The man is free again, turned out of song and sonnet and romance, and young ladies' hearts. Shakspeare understood this well, when he wrote of prince Hal and Harry Hotspur. To have called them Henry would have spoiled both characters.

   • 2010, Elly Griffiths, “The Janus Stone”, in Ruth Galloway: The Early Cases: A Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries Collection, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

     'I suppose you think I should call him Harry,' says Ruth.
     'Harry? No. Ever since Harry bloody Potter that's been a nightmare. […]

   1. A male given name from the Germanic languages
   2. A male given name from French, originating as an Anglicization of Henri
   3. A diminutive of the male given name Henry, Harold
2. (rare compared to given name) A surname originating as a patronymic.
3. (rare nickname) A diminutive of the female given name Harriet

Derived terms

• Harry Benjamin syndrome
• Harry Potter
• Harry Stoke
• Old Harry

 

Related terms

• Hal
• Harriet

 

Translations

male given name

• Arabic: هَارِي m (hārī)
• Belarusian: Га́ры m (Háry)
• Bengali: হ্যারি (hêri)
• Bulgarian: Ха́ри m (Hári)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哈里 (zh) (Hǎlǐ), 哈利 (zh) (Hālì)

• Danish: Harry
• Dhivehi: ހެރީ (herī)
• Esperanto: Hari
• Finnish: Harri (fi)
• French: Harry (fr) m
• Georgian: ჰარი (hari)
• German: Harry (de) m (borrowing from English)
• Greek: Χάρι (el) m (Chári), Χάρης (el) m (Cháris)
• Hebrew: הארי m
• Hindi: हैरी (hairī)
• Japanese: ハリー (Harī)
• Kapampangan: Árî, Hárî
• Kashmiri: ہیری (hyrī)
• Korean: 해리 (Haeri)
• Latin: Harrius m, Henrīcus (la) m
• Latvian: Harijs m
• Low German: Harry (borrowing from English)
• Macedonian: Хари m (Hari)
• Maori: Hare
• Mongolian: Харри (Xarri)
• Persian: هری (fa) (hari)
• Portuguese: Harry m
• Russian: Га́рри (ru) m (Gárri), Ха́рри (ru) m (Xárri)
• Serbo-Croatian: Хари m, Harry m, Hari m, Хари m
• Swedish: Harry (sv)
• Thai: แฮร์รี่ (hae-rêe)
• Ukrainian: Га́ррі m (Hárri)
• Uyghur: خاررى (xarri)
• Yiddish: האַרי m (hari)

Danish

Etymology

From English Harry.

Proper noun

Harry

1. a male given name

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English Harry.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Harry

1. a male given name

Norwegian

Etymology

From English Harry.

Proper noun

Harry

1. a male given name

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Harry.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʁɛ.ɾi/ [ˈhɛ.ɾi]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʁɛ.ɾi/ [ˈhɛ.ɾi]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈʁɛ.ɾi/ [ˈχɛ.ɾi]

Proper noun

Harry m

1. a male given name from English, equivalent to English Harry

Swedish

Etymology

From English Harry.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Harry c (genitive Harrys)

1. a male given name