English

Proper noun

Harry

1. A male given name, also used as a pet form of Henry and Harold.
   • c. 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2: Act V, Scene V:

     Yet weep that Harry's dead, and so will I; / But Harry lives that shall convert those tears / By number into hours of happiness.

   • 1830 Mary Russell Mitford, Our Village: Fourth Series: Cottage Names:

     Henry now, what a soft swain your Henry is! the proper theme of gentle poesy; a name to fall in love withal; devoted at the font to song and sonnet, and the tender passion; a baptized inamorato; a christened hero. Call him Harry, and see how you ameliorate his condition. The man is free again, turned out of song and sonnet and romance, and young ladies' hearts. Shakspeare understood this well, when he wrote of prince Hal and Harry Hotspur. To have called them Henry would have spoiled both characters.

2. (rare compared to given name) A patronymic surname​.

Related terms

• Hal
• Harriet

Translations

Danish

Proper noun

Harry

1. A male given name borrowed from English.

German

Proper noun

Harry

1. A male given name borrowed from English.

Norwegian

Proper noun

Harry

1. A male given name borrowed from English.

Portuguese

Proper noun

Harry m

1. A male given name, equivalent to English Harry

Swedish

Proper noun

Harry

1. A male given name borrowed from English.

English

Verb

harry ‎(third-person singular simple present harries, present participle harrying, simple past and past participle harried)

1. (transitive) To bother; to trouble.

   We shall harry the enemy at every turn until his morale breaks and he is at our mercy.

   • 2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 – 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:

     Chelsea also struggled to keep possession as QPR harried and chased at every opportunity, giving their opponents no time on the ball.

   • 2014 July 5, Sam Borden, “For bellicose Brazil, payback carries heavy price: Loss of Neymar [International New York Times version: Brazil and referee share some blame for Neymar's injury: Spaniard's failure to curb early pattern of fouls is seen as major factor (7 July 2014, p. 13)]”, in The New York Times:

     The Colombians' ire was raised even more 10 minutes later when the referee showed a yellow card to [James] Rodríguez – who was apoplectic at the decision – for an innocuous trip that was, as Rodríguez vociferously pointed out with multiple hand gestures, a first offense compared with Fernandinho's harrying.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

2. To strip; to lay waste.

   The Northmen came several times and harried the land.

   • Washington Irving

     to harry this beautiful region

   • J. Burroughs

     A red squirrel had harried the nest of a wood thrush.

Synonyms

• bother, disturb, harass, trouble, worry

Derived terms

• harrier

Norwegian

Etymology

From the English name Harry.

Adjective

harry

1. (slang, derogatory) cheesy, shabby, kitschy

Derived terms

• harrytur
• harryhandel