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O. Henry

[oh hen-ree]
noun
  1. pen name of William Sydney Porter.
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Henry2

[hen-ree]
noun
  1. Joseph,1797–1878, U.S. physicist.
  2. O., pen name of William Sydney Porter.
  3. Patrick,1736–99, American patriot, orator, and statesman.
  4. Cape, a cape in SE Virginia at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
  5. Fort. Fort Henry.
  6. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning “home” and “kingdom.”
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Porter

[pawr-ter, pohr-]
noun
  1. Cole,1893–1964, U.S. composer.
  2. David,1780–1843, U.S. naval officer.
  3. his sonDavid Dix·on [dik-suh n] /ˈdɪk sən/, 1813–91, Union naval officer in the Civil War.
  4. Edwin Stanton,1870–1941, U.S. film director.
  5. GeneGene Stratton Porter, 1868–1924, U.S. novelist.
  6. Sir George,1920–2002, British chemist: Nobel prize 1967.
  7. Katherine Anne,1890–1980, U.S. writer.
  8. Noah,1811–92, U.S. educator, writer, and lexicographer.
  9. Rodney Robert,1917–85, British biochemist: Nobel Prize in medicine 1972.
  10. William SydneyO. Henry, 1862–1910, U.S. short-story writer.
  11. a male given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for o. henry

O. Henry

noun
  1. pen name of William Sidney Porter. 1862–1910, US short-story writer. His collections of stories, characterized by his use of caricature and surprising endings, include Cabbages and Kings (1904) and The Four Million (1906)
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henry

noun plural -ry, -ries or -rys
  1. the derived SI unit of electric inductance; the inductance of a closed circuit in which an emf of 1 volt is produced when the current varies uniformly at the rate of 1 ampere per secondSymbol: H
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Word Origin

C19: named after Joseph Henry (1797–1878), US physicist

Henry

noun
  1. Joseph. 1797–1878, US physicist. He discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction independently of Faraday and constructed the first electromagnetic motor (1829). He also discovered self-induction and the oscillatory nature of electric discharges (1842)
  2. Patrick. 1736–99, American statesman and orator, a leading opponent of British rule during the War of American Independence
  3. Prince, known as Harry. born 1984, second son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales
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Porter

noun
  1. Cole. 1893–1964, US composer and lyricist of musical comedies. His most popular songs include Night and Day and Let's do It
  2. George, Baron Porter of Luddenham. 1920–2002, British chemist, who shared a Nobel prize for chemistry in 1967 for his work on flash photolysis
  3. Katherine Anne. 1890–1980, US short-story writer and novelist. Her best-known collections of stories are Flowering Judas (1930) and Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939)
  4. Rodney Robert. 1917–85, British biochemist: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1972 for determining the structure of an antibody
  5. William Sidney. original name of O. Henry
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porter1

noun
  1. a person employed to carry luggage, parcels, supplies, etc, esp at a railway station or hotel
  2. (in hospitals) a person employed to move patients from place to place
  3. US and Canadian a railway employee who waits on passengers, esp in a sleeper
  4. East African a manual labourer
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Word Origin

C14: from Old French portour, from Late Latin portātōr, from Latin portāre to carry

porter2

noun
  1. mainly British a person in charge of a gate or door; doorman or gatekeeper
  2. a person employed by a university or college as a caretaker and doorkeeper who also answers enquiries
  3. a person in charge of the maintenance of a building, esp a block of flats
  4. Also called: ostiary RC Church a person ordained to what was formerly the lowest in rank of the minor orders
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Word Origin

C13: from Old French portier, from Late Latin portārius doorkeeper, from Latin porta door

porter3

noun
  1. British a dark sweet ale brewed from black malt
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Word Origin

C18: shortened from porter's ale, apparently because it was a favourite beverage of porters
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for o. henry

porter

n.1

"person who carries," late 14c. (mid-13c. as a surname), from Anglo-French portour, Old French porteor "porter, bearer; reporter" (12c.), from Late Latin portatorem (nominative portator) "carrier, one who carries," from past participle stem of Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)).

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porter

n.2

"doorkeeper, janitor," mid-13c. (late 12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French portour, Old French portier "gatekeeper" (12c.), from Late Latin portarius "gatekeeper," from Latin porta "gate" (see port (n.2)).

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porter

n.3

type of dark beer, 1734, short for porter's ale (1721), from porter (n.1), because the beer was made for or preferred by porters and other laborers, being cheap and strong.

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Henry

masc. proper name, from French Henri, from Late Latin Henricus, from German Heinrich, from Old High German Heimerich, literally "the ruler of the house," from heim "home" + rihhi "ruler." One of the most popular Norman names after the Conquest.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
o. henry in Medicine

henry

(hĕn′rē)
n. pl. hen•rys
  1. The unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second.
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Porter

(pôr′tər)Rodney Robert 1917-1985
  1. British biochemist. He shared a 1972 Nobel Prize for his research on the chemical structure and nature of antibodies.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
o. henry in Science

henry

[hĕn′rē]
  1. A SI derived unit of electrical inductance, especially of transformers and inductance coils. A current changing at the rate of one ampere per second in a circuit with an inductance of one henry induces an electromotive force of one volt.
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Porter

[pôr′tər]
  1. British biochemist who shared with George Edelman the 1972 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for their study of the chemical structure of antibodies.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.