henchman

Meaning

Noun

• A loyal and trusted follower or subordinate.
• A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests.
• An assistant member of a criminal gang.
• A page to a prince or other person of high rank.

Origin

• From Middle English henxman ("page, attendant"), from Old English *hengstmann, *hengestmann, from hengst, hengest (from Proto-Germanic *hangistaz ("stallion"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱanḱest-, *kankest-) + mann. Cognate with archaic German Hengstmann ("a groom"), Icelandic hestamaður ("horseman, groom").