hench

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛntʃ/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

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

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

Adjective

hench (comparative more hench, superlative most hench)

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

   He's well hench.

   That's a seriously hench doorman.

   • 2016 December 9, Adam Boult, quoting Quashie, Elijah, “These brilliant videos about London's takeaway chicken shops are a YouTube hit”, in The Daily Telegraph‎^[1]:

     It caught me off guard because it was hench. My mind was like, ‘right, this burger’s hench’. I looked at it, right, ‘that look peng’, and it hit me two thirds of the way in, I clocked that the burger was not peng at all, it was just hench.

Synonyms

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