Etymologically
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hers

Etymology and origin of the English word hers

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1300
Ultimate origin
English (her)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /hɜːz/, US /hɝːz/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from her and the possessive -s (see 's), so it is a double possessive.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The absolute form of the possessive her, used without a following noun: about 1300 as hires.[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old and Middle English the predicative and attributive possessives were the same.[2] From the late 13th century speakers added -n to predicative my and thy before vowels, which by 1500 was standard as mine and thine;[2] the other pronouns took the ordinary possessive -s, giving hers, ours, yours and theirs.[2] The dialects of the Midlands and south of England extended -n instead, giving hisn, hern and yourn, from the 14th century.[2] Of hers, belonging to her, is from 1478.[5] A northern hers meant theirs (about 1340).[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1300 – hires.[2]
  • c. 1340 – hers, theirs (northern).[5]
  • 1478 – of hers.[5]

Modern meaning

Pronoun

  1. The one or ones belonging to or associated with her: the book is hers.
  2. of hers: belonging to her.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Hers.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hers. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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