hu

Clipping of human, first offered for usage by Mikhail Epstein, professor of cultural theory at Emory University (in 2003)[1].

• Homophones: hue, huh

hu (third-person singular, nominative case, reflexive huself) (epicene)

1. (neologism) they (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.
   • 2002 January 3, McMahon, Bryan T., quoting Sasha Newborn, “A terrible book”, in The Ponchatoula Times‎, page 7:

     Hu is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics; exhibiting in hus solutions of each and all a degree of acumen which appears to the ordinary apprehension preternatural.

   • 2003 October 14, Epstein, Mikhail, “"Hu," from "human," as a gender-neutral pronoun”, in , Usenet‎, message-ID <f732cdb7.0310141153.6c715df8@posting.google.com>:

     When the lecturer arrives, hu will be speaking on the topic of anonymity.

   • 2007 November 29, Epstein, Mikhail, “hu”, in International Society for Universal Dialog‎:

     It's the vice-president's job to support the president and take hus place when hu is away.

   • 2008 March, Hitz, Christoph, “Hu, Me?”, in Mother Jones‎, ISSN 0362-8841:

     Maybe, but if his/herstory's any guide, hu has hu work cut out for hu.

2. (neologism) them (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns him and her.
   • 2006, Anderson, Perry; Burgess, Glenn, DeLuna, D. N., editor, The Political Imagination in History: Essays Concerning J.G.A. Pocock‎, Owlworks, →ISBN, page 175:

     One of his favorite metaphors for the historian, drawn from the "Preface" to Hegel's Philosophy of Right, likens hu to the owl of Minerva, whose flight at dusk provided the setting for mature reflection on the day that had passed.

3. (neologism) their (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular possessive adjective, coordinate with his and her.
   • 2006 October 1, “He said, she said, hu said”, in Los Angeles Times‎:

     Now, however, the editorial writer has a new weapon in hu arsenal.

   • 2006 November 17, Kyff, Rob, “Hu Joins Heesh As Neutral Pronoun”, in Hartford Courant‎:

     If hu doesn't do hu homework, I will fail hu.

• (as subject): he, she
• (as object): him, her

• huself

• other attested and proposed gender-neutral pronouns

• uh

• IPA^(key): /hu/

hu

1. water

• transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66

• Tone: L[1]

hu

1. to see
2. to discern, to descry, to find

• “hũ” in Christaller, Johann Gottlieb (1881). A Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language Called Tshi (Chwee, Tw̌i). Basel.

• Gheg: hû
  • indef. sg. huni
  • def. pl. hûj

From Proto-Albanian *skuna, from *skun-o- (compare Norwegian/Faroese skon (“snout”)), from Proto-Indo-European *skewd-.[1] More at hedh.

hu m (indefinite plural hunj, definite singular huri, definite plural hunjtë)

1. wooden post, fencepost
2. stake, picket
3. pole, stilt
4. (colloquial) penis

• hundë

From Old Norse hugr.

hu

1. An expression of eeriness, horror or a very strong emotion

hu c (singular definite huen, not used in plural form)

1. inclination, sympathy

• husvale

hu

1. imperative of hue

hu

1. oh, ooh, oof, wow (indicating surprise or another strong emotion)

hu

1. an exclamation of feeling cold

• hu in Duden online

An onomatopoeia.

• IPA^(key): [ˈhu]

hu

1. boo (a loud exclamation intended to scare someone, especially a child)
2. ah, oh (use to express fright)

   Hu, de megijedtem! ― Ah, you startled me!

3. ugh (used to express repugnance, disgust)
4. hoot (cry of an owl; see huhog)

From English who.

hu

1. (interrogative) who

hu (with genitive)

1. Obsolete spelling of wu

• huwa

From Arabic هُوَ‎ (huwa)

• IPA^(key): /uː/

hu

1. he

hu

1. Nonstandard spelling of hū.
2. Nonstandard spelling of hú.
3. Nonstandard spelling of hǔ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of hù.

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

hu

1. Alternative spelling of u

hu

1. Alternative spelling of u; accusative and dative of gi

hu

1. Alternative form of heo

• “he, pron. (2)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 June 2018.

• hun

hu (accusative henne, genitive hennes)

hu

1. (Non-standard since 1959) she, (third person singular, feminine)

From Proto-Germanic *hwō. Cognate with Old Frisian hū, Old Saxon hū (Dutch hoe), Old High German wuo.

• IPA^(key): /huː/

hū

1. How, in all senses, including:
   1. To what degree

      Hū eald is þīn dohtor?

      How old is your daughter?

      Hū miċel fēos hæfst þū mid þē?

      How much money do you have with you?

   2. In what manner

      Hū sæġþ man þæt on Englisċ?

      How do you say that in English?

      Hū færst þū?

      How are you? (Literally: "How are you faring?")

   3. In what state

      Hū wæs þīn dæġ?

      How was your day?

      Þū canst Ælfrēd cyning? Hū is hē?

      You know King Alfred? What is he like?

   4. Used in exclamations

      Hū hleahtorlīċ!

      How ridiculous!

      Hū gōd hund!

      What a good dog!

hū

1. How, in all senses:
   1. In what manner

      Iċ leornode hū man wæġn ġebētt.

      I learned how to repair a wagon.

      Hīe āxodon hū hīe helpan mihten.

      They asked how they could help.

   2. That, the fact that (introducing direct statements)

      Iċ him sæġde hū iċ wǣre æt hām ealne dæġ and ne ġehīerde nāwiht.

      I told them how I'd been at home all day and hadn't heard a thing.

      Þæt is tō wundriġenne hū hīe þā bryċġe swā hraðe ġefyldon.

      It's amazing how they completed the bridge so quickly.

• Middle English: hu, hou, hwu, wou, howe
  • English: how
  • Scots: hoo, foo

• heu
• hue
• hui
• huy

Onomatopoeia.

• IPA^(key): /hy/

hu

1. a shouting noise made when pursuing someone or something

hu m (oblique plural hus, nominative singular hus, nominative plural hu)

1. commotion; racket (noisy situation)

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (hu)
• hu on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

From Proto-Germanic *hwō.

• IPA^(key): /huː/

hu

1. how

hu

1. how

• hwo

From Old Norse hón.

• IPA^(key): /hʉː/, /heʊ̯ː/, /hʊ/, /hœ/

hu (accusative na or hänner, dative hänner or henar, genitive hännars or henars)

1. she, it (third person singular, feminine)

Hu is used to refer not only to feminine persons, but any feminine noun.

• ho
• hon

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk ho, hoe

• (Luleå) IPA^(key): /²heʊ̯ː/

hu f

1. female

From Old Norse húð, from Proto-Germanic *hūdiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kuHtis.

hu f

1. hide; pelt

• hy