different between wench vs hench

English

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English wench, wenche (“female baby; girl (especially unmarried); maiden, young woman; bondwoman; serving maid; beloved, sweetheart; concubine, mistress; harlot, prostitute”) [and other forms], a shortened form of Middle English wenchel (“girl; maiden; child”), from Old English wen?el, win?el (“child; servant; slave”), from Proto-Germanic *wankil?, from Proto-Germanic *wankijan? (“to sway; waver”). The English word is cognate with Old High German wenken (“to waver; to give way, yield”), wank?n (“to totter”).

The verb and adjective are derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /w?nt?/
• Rhymes: -?nt?

Noun

wench (plural wenches)

1. (archaic, now dialectal or humorous, possibly offensive) A girl or young woman, especially a buxom or lively one.
   1. (specifically) A girl or young woman of a lower class.
2. (archaic or dialectal) Used as a term of endearment for a female person, especially a wife, daughter, or girlfriend: darling, sweetheart.
3. (archaic) A woman servant; a maidservant.
4. (archaic) A promiscuous woman; a mistress (“other woman in an extramarital relationship”).

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous woman, Thesaurus:mistress
5. (archaic) A prostitute.
6. (US, archaic or historical) A black woman (of any age), especially if in a condition of servitude.

   Synonym: (dated, literary, now offensive) negress

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: wenke

Translations

Verb

wench (third-person singular simple present wenches, present participle wenching, simple past and past participle wenched)

1. (intransitive, archaic, now humorous) To frequent prostitutes; to whore; also, to womanize.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• wencher

Translations

References

Anagrams

• chewn

English

Etymology

Related to henchman (“faithful follower, supporter, groom”); perhaps a back-formation from that word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /h?nt?/

Noun

hench (plural henches)

1. (architecture) The narrow side of chimney stack, a haunch.
2. (architecture) The side of an arch from the topmost part (crown) to the bottommost part (impost).

Verb

hench (third-person singular simple present henches, present participle henching, simple past and past participle henched)

1. (comics) To be a henchman or henchwoman, usually for a supervillain.

Adjective

hench (comparative more hench, superlative most hench)

1. (Britain, slang, MLE) Big, strong, and muscular.

   He's well hench.

   That's a seriously hench doorman.

Synonyms

• (muscular): buff, enormous; see also Thesaurus:strapping or Thesaurus:large