O. Henry

[oh hen-ree] /oʊ ˈhɛn ri/
noun
1.
pen name of William S. Porter.

Henry

[hen-ree] /ˈhɛn ri/
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.”.

Porter

[pawr-ter, pohr-] /ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr-/
noun
1.
Cole, 1893–1964, U.S. composer.
2.
David, 1780–1843, U.S. naval officer.
3.
his son, David Dixon
[dik-suh n] /ˈdɪk sən/ (Show IPA), 1813–91, Union naval officer in the Civil War.
4.
Edwin Stanton, 1870–1941, U.S. film director.
5.
Gene (Gene 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 Sydney ("O. Henry") 1862–1910, U.S. short-story writer.
11.
a male given name.
British Dictionary definitions for O. Henry

O. Henry

/əʊ ˈhɛnrɪ/
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)

henry

/ˈhɛnrɪ/
noun (pl) -ry, -ries, -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 second H
Word Origin
C19: named after Joseph Henry (1797–1878), US physicist

Henry

/ˈhɛnrɪ/
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

porter1

/ˈpɔːtə/
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 & Canadian) a railway employee who waits on passengers, esp in a sleeper
4.
(E African) a manual labourer
Word Origin
C14: from Old French portour, from Late Latin portātōr, from Latin portāre to carry

porter2

/ˈpɔːtə/
noun
1.
(mainly Brit) 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.
(RC Church) Also called ostiary. a person ordained to what was formerly the lowest in rank of the minor orders
Word Origin
C13: from Old French portier, from Late Latin portārius doorkeeper, from Latin porta door

porter3

/ˈpɔːtə/
noun
1.
(Brit) a dark sweet ale brewed from black malt
Word Origin
C18: shortened from porter's ale, apparently because it was a favourite beverage of porters

Porter

/ˈpɔːtə/
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
Word Origin and History for O. Henry

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.

porter

n.

"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)).

"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)).

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.

O. Henry in Medicine

henry hen·ry (hěn'rē)
n. pl. hen·rys or hen·ries (-rēz)
Abbr. H
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.

Porter Por·ter (pôr'tər), Rodney Robert. Born 1917.

British biochemist. He shared a 1972 Nobel Prize for his research on the chemical structure and nature of antibodies.

O. Henry in Science
henry
  (hěn'rē)   
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.
Porter
  (pôr'tər)   
British biochemist who shared with George Edelman the 1972 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for their study of the chemical structure of antibodies.
O. Henry in the Bible

a gate-keeper (2 Sam. 18:26; 2 Kings 7:10; 1 Chr. 9:21; 2 Chr. 8:14). Of the Levites, 4,000 were appointed as porters by David (1 Chr. 23:5), who were arranged according to their families (26:1-19) to take charge of the doors and gates of the temple. They were sometimes employed as musicians (1 Chr. 15:18).

Encyclopedia Article for O. Henry

henry

unit of either self-inductance or mutual inductance, abbreviated h (or hy), and named for the American physicist Joseph Henry. One henry is the value of self-inductance in a closed circuit or coil in which one volt is produced by a variation of the inducing current of one ampere per second. One henry is also the value of the mutual inductance of two coils arranged such that an electromotive force of one volt is induced in one if the current in the other is changing at a rate of one ampere per second. See inductance.

Learn more about henry with a free trial on Britannica.com