A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

hee-haw --- first recorded 1815 (as Hiu Haw), probably imitative of sound of donkey's bray (cf. Fr. hinham).

heel (n.) --- contemptible person, 1914 in U.S. underworld slang, originally "incompetent or worthless criminal," probably from a sense of "person in the lowest position."

heel (n.) --- O.E. hela, from P.Gmc. *khangkh- (cf. O.N. hæll, O.Fris. hel, Du. hiel), related to O.E. hoh "hock." Heeled "provided with money" is 1880 in Amer.Eng., from earlier sense "furnished with a gun, armed" (1866), from still earlier sense "furnish (a gamecock) with a heel-like spur" (1562). To heel (of a dog) is from 1810. Heeler "unscrupulous political lackey" is U.S. slang, 1877, from the notion of one who follows at the heels of a political boss, no doubt coined with the image of a dog in mind. Achilles' heel "only vulnerable spot" is from 1810. Heel-tap was originally (1688) one of the bits of leather that are stacked up to make a shoe heel; meaning "bit of liquor left in a glass or bottle" first recorded 1688; the exact connection is uncertain. Down at heels (1732) refers to heels of boots or shoes worn down and the owner too poor to replace them.

heel (v.) --- of a ship, O.E. hyldan "incline," from P.Gmc. *khelthijanan (cf. M.Du. helden "to lean," O.N. hallr "inclined," Ger. halde "slope, declivity"). Re-spelled 16c. from M.E. hield, probably by misinterpretation of -d as a pt. suffix.

heft --- c.1445, "weight, heaviness," from heave on analogy of thieve/thief, weave/weft, etc.; also infl. by heft, obsolete pp. of heave. The verb meaning "to lift" is first recorded c.1661. Hefty is from 1867.

hegemony --- 1567, from Gk. hegemonia "leadership," from hegemon "leader," from hegeisthai "to lead." Originally of predominance of one city state or another in Gk. history.

hegira --- 1590, the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina (July 16, 622 C.E.), from which event the Islamic calendar reckons. From Arabic hijrah "departure," from hajara "to depart."

he-he --- imitative of laughter, was in O.E. "Ha ha and he he getacniað hlehter on leden and on englisc." [Ælfric, "Grammar," c.1000]

heifer --- O.E. heahfore, of unknown origin, not found outside Eng. The first element seems to be heah "high," common in O.E. compounds with a sense of "great in size." The second element may be related to O.E. fearr "bull," or to O.E. faran "to go" (giving the whole a sense of "high-stepper"); but there are serious sense difficulties with both conjectures. In modern use, "a female that has not yet calved," as opposed to a cow, which has calved, and a calf, which is an animal of either sex not more than a year old. As derisive slang for "a woman, girl" it dates from 1835.

heigh-ho --- 1553, exclamation to express yawning, sighing, etc.

height --- O.E. hiehþu, Anglian hehþo "highest part or point, summit," from root of heah "high" + -itha Gmc. abstract noun suffix (cf. O.N. hæð, O.H.G. hohida, Goth. hauhiþa "height"). The modern pronunciation with -t not established till 18c., and heighth is still colloquial.

Heinie --- a German, especially a Ger. soldier," 1904, N.Amer. slang, from pet form of common Ger. male proper name Heinrich (see Henry). Brought to Europe in World War I by Canadian soldiers (British soldiers called the adversary Fritz).

heinie --- slang for "the buttocks," by 1930s, probably a contraction of hind end.

heinous --- c.1374, from O.Fr. haineus (Fr. haineux), from haine "hatred," from hair "to hate," from Frank. *hatjan (cf. O.S. haton, O.E. hatian "to hate").

heir --- c.1275, from Anglo-Fr. heir, from O.Fr. hair, from L. heres (gen. heredis) "heir, heiress" (see heredity). Heir apparent (1375) has the Fr. order of noun-adj., though it was not originally so in Eng. It is the heir of one still alive whose right is clear. After death the heir apparent becomes the heir-at-law.

heirloom --- 1472, ayre lome, from heir (q.v.) + loom in its original but now otherwise obsolete sense of "implement, tool." Technically, some piece of property that by will or custom passes down with the real estate.

Heisenberg --- in ref. to Ger. physicist Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976), pioneer of quantum mechanics. His "uncertainty principle" (deduced in 1927) is that an electron may have a determinate position, or a determinate velocity, but not both.

heist --- 1927 (in heister "shoplifter, thief"), Amer.Eng. slang, probably dialectal alt. of hoist "lift," in sense of "shoplift," also in older British slang "to lift another on one's shoulders to help him break in."

Helen --- fem. proper name, from Fr. Hélène, from L. Helena, from Gk. Helene, fem. proper name, probably fem. of helenos "the bright one."

heliacal --- pertaining to the sun, 1607, from Gk. heliakos "of the sun," from helios "sun" (see sol). The heliacal year is reckoned from the heliacal rising of Sirius; it is also known as the canicular year.

Helicon --- 1529, from Gk. Helikon, mountain in Boeotia, sacred to the Muses, in which arose the fountains of Aganippe and Hippocrene. Lit. "the tortuous mountain," from helix (gen. helikos) "spiral" (see helix).

helicopter --- 1861, from Fr. hélicoptère "device for enabling airplanes to rise perpendicularly," thus "flying machine propelled by screws." The idea was to gain lift from spiral aerofoils, and it didn't work. Used by Jules Verne and the Wright Brothers, the word transferred to helicopters in the modern sense when those were developed, 1920s. From Gk. helix (gen. helikos) "spiral" (see helix) + pteron "wing" (see petition). Nativized in Flemish as wentelwiek "with rotary vanes." Heliport is attested from 1948, with second element abstracted from airport.

heliotrope --- plant which turns its flowers and leaves to the sun, c.1626, from Fr. heliotrope, from L. heliotropium, from Gk. heliotropion, from helios "sun" (see sol) + tropos "turn." The word was applied c.1000-1600 in L. form to sunflowers and marigolds.

helium --- 1868, coined from Gk. helios "sun" (see sol), because the element was observed in the solar spectrum during the eclipse of Aug. 18, 1868, by Eng. astronomer Sir Joseph N. Lockyer (1836-1920) and Eng. chemist Sir Edward Frankland (1825-99). It was not actually obtained until 1895.

helix --- 1563, from L. helix "spiral," from Gk. helix (gen. helikos), related to eilein "to turn, twist, roll," from PIE base *wel- "to turn, revolve" (see vulva).

hell --- O.E. hel, helle "nether world, abode of the dead, infernal regions," from P.Gmc. *khaljo (cf. O.Fris. helle, O.N. hel, Ger. Hölle, Goth. halja "hell") "the underworld," lit. "concealed place," from PIE *kel- "to cover, conceal, save" (see cell). The Eng. word may be in part from O.N. Hel (from P.Gmc. *khalija "one who covers up or hides something"), in Norse mythology Loki's daughter, who rules over the evil dead in Niflheim, the lowest of all worlds (nifl "mist"), a death aspect of the three-fold goddess. Transfer of a pagan concept and word to a Christian idiom, used in the K.J.V. for O.T. Heb. Sheol, N.T. Gk. Hades, Gehenna. Used figuratively for "any bad experience" since at least 1374. As an expression of disgust, etc., first recorded 1678. Hell-bent is from 1835. Hell-raiser is from 1914 (to raise hell is from 1896); hellacious is 1930s college slang. Expression Hell in a handbasket is c.1941, perhaps a revision of earlier heaven in a handbasket (c.1913), with a sense of "easy passage" to whichever destination. Expression hell of a _____ is attested from 1776. Hell or high water is apparently a variation of between the devil and the deep blue sea. To wish someone would go to hell is in Shakespeare (1596). Snowball's chance in hell "no chance" is from 1931; till hell freezes over "never" is from 1919. To ride hell for leather is from 1889, originally with reference to riding on horseback. Hell on wheels is from 1843.

hellcat --- volatile woman, 1605, from hell + cat.

hellebore --- 1373, from O.Fr. ellebore, from L. elleborus, from Gk. helleboros, probably meaning "plant eaten by fawns," from Gk. ellos/hellos "fawn" + bora "food of beasts." Among the ancients, the name given to various plants of both poisonous and medicinal qualities, reputed to cure madness.

Hellenic --- 1644, from Gk. Hellenikos, from Hellen "a Greek," first used by Homer in ref. to a Thessalian tribe. Hellenistic (1874) refers to Gk. culture after Alexander; the term Hellenism in this sense was coined 1836 by Ger. historian Johann Gustav Droysen (1808-84).

hellfire --- condensed from O.E. helle fyr, in which helle is the genitive case of hell. It translates Gk. gehenna tou pyros, lit. "fiery hell."

hellhole --- unpleasant place, 1866, from hell + hole.

hellion --- 1846, Amer.Eng., alt. (by association with Hell) from Scot./northern England dial. hallion "worthless fellow, scamp" (1786), of unknown origin.

hello --- 1883, alt. of hallo (1840), itself an alt. of holla, hollo, a shout to attract attention, first recorded 1588. Perhaps from holla! "stop, cease." Popularity as a greeting coincides with use of the telephone, where it won out over Alexander Graham Bell's suggestion, ahoy. Central telephone exchange operators were known as hello-girls (1889).

Hell's Angels --- motorcycle club, first attested 1957. They were called Black Rebels in the 1954 film "The Wild One." Earlier the phrase had been used as the title of a film about World War I air combat (1930).

helm --- tiller, from O.E. helma "position of guidance, control," from P.Gmc. *khelman- (cf. O.N. hjalm, N.H.G. helm "handle").

helmet --- 1470, from M.Fr. helmet, dim. of helme "helmet," from Frank. *helm (cf O.H.G. helm "helmet"), from P.Gmc. *khelmaz, from PIE *kel- "to cover, to hide" (see cell). O.E. had helm, but it never was an active word.

helot --- 1579, from Gk. Heilotes, pl. of Heilos, popularly assoc. with Helos, Laconian town reduced to serfdom by Sparta, but perhaps related to Gk. halonai "be captured."

help --- O.E. helpan (class III strong verb; past tense healp, pp. holpen), from P.Gmc. *khelpanan (cf. O.N. hjalpa, O.Fris. helpa, Du. helpen, Ger. helfen), from PIE base *kelb-/*kelp- "to help" (cf. Lith. selpiu "to support, help"). Sense of "serve someone with food at table" (1688) is translated from Fr. servir "to help, stead, avail," and led to helping "portion of food" (1824). Use of help as euphemism for "servant" is Amer.Eng., 1645, tied up in notions of class and race. "A domestic servant of American birth, and without negro blood in his or her veins ... is not a servant, but a 'help.' 'Help wanted,' is the common heading of advertisements in the North, when servants are required." [Chas. Mackay, "Life and Liberty in America," 1859]. The M.E. pp. holpen survives in biblical and U.S. dial. use.

helpmate --- companion, 1715, a ghost word, altered from helpmeet, from the Biblical translation of L. adjutorium simile sibi [Gen. ii.18] as "an help meet (i.e. fit) for him" (Heb. 'ezer keneghdo), which was already by 1673 being printed as help-meet and mistaken for one word.

helter-skelter --- 1593, perhaps from skelte "to hasten, scatter hurriedly," with the first element merely for rhyme.

helve --- O.E. helfe "handle of an axe," from P.Gmc. *halbi- (cf. O.S. helvi, M.Du. helf, O.H.G. halb "handle of an axe," O.H.G. helmo "tiller"); related to halter.

Helvetian --- Swiss, 1559, from Helvetia terra, M.L. name of Switzerland, from L. Helvetius "pertaining to the Helvetii," a Celtic people of ancient Gallia Lugdunensis.

hem (interj.) --- 1470, probably imitative of the sound of clearing the throat. Hem and haw first recorded 1786, from haw "hesitation," first recorded 1632.

hem (n.) --- O.E. hem "a border," from P.Gmc. *khamjanan (cf. O.N. hemja "to bridle, curb," O.Fris. hemma "to hinder," M.Du., Ger. hemmen "to hem in, stop, hinder"), from the same root that yielded hamper and O.E. hamm, common in place names (where it means "enclosure, land hemmed in by water or high ground, land in a river bend"). The phrase hem in "shut in, confine," first recorded 1538. Hem-line first attested 1923.

hematite --- 1543, from M.Fr. hematite, from L. hæmatites, from Gk. haimatites lithos "bloodlike stone," from haima (gen. haimatos) "blood" (see -emia).

hemi- --- prefix meaning "half," from Gk. hemi-, from PIE base *semi-, which is the source of Skt. sami, L. semi-, O.H.G. sami- "half," and O.E. sam- (see sandblind).

hemisphere --- c.1374, from L. hemisphærium, from Gk. hemisphairion, from hemi- "half" + sphaira "sphere."

hemistich --- half a poetic line, 1575, from M.Fr. hémistiche, from L. hemistichium, from Gk. hemistichion "half-line, half-verse," from hemi- "half" + stichos "row, line of verse."

hemlock --- O.E. (Kentish) hemlic, earlier hymlice, hymblice, of unknown origin.

hemoglobin --- 1869, shortening of hæmatoglobin (1845), from Gk. haimato-, comb. form of haima (gen. haimatos) "blood" (see -emia) + globulin, a protein, from L. globulus "globule."

hemophilia --- 1854 (in Anglicized form hæmophily), from Ger. hämophile, coined in Mod.L. in 1828 by Ger. physician Johann Lucas Schönlein (1793-1864), from Gk. haima "blood" (see -emia) + philia "to love," related to philos "loving."

hemorrhage --- c.1400, emorosogie, from L. hæmorrhagia, from Gk. haimorrhagia, from haima "blood" (see -emia) + rhage "a breaking," from rhegnynai "to break, burst."

hemorrhoids --- 1398, emeroudis, from O.Fr. emorroides, from L. hæmorrhoidæ, from Gk. haimorrhoides, pl. of haimorrhois, from haima "blood" (see -emia) + rhoos "a stream, a flowing," from rhein "to flow."

hemp --- O.E. hænep, from P.Gmc. *hanapiz (cf. O.S. hanap, O.N. hampr, O.H.G. hanaf, Ger. Hanf), probably a very early Gmc. borrowing of the same Scythian word that became Gk. kannabis (see cannabis). Slang sense of "marijuana" dates from 1940s; though scientific use for the narcotic derived from hemp dates to 1870.

hen --- O.E. hen, from W.Gmc. *khannjo (cf. M.Du. henne, O.H.G. henna), fem. of *khan(e)ni "male fowl, cock" (cf. O.E. hana "cock"), lit. "bird who sings for sunrise," from PIE base *kan- "to sing" (see chant). The original masc. word survives in Ger. (Hahn "cock"), Swed., Dan., etc.; extension to "female of any bird species" is c.1325 in Eng. Hen as slang for "woman" dates from 1626; hence hen party "gathering of women," first recorded 1887. Henpecked is from 1680. "The henpect Man rides behind his Wife, and lets her wear the Spurs and govern the Reins." [Samuel Butler]

hence --- c.1275, hennes, from O.E. heonan "away, hence" + adverbial gen. -s, from W.Gmc. *khin- (cf. O.S. hinan, O.H.G. hinnan, Ger. hinnen); related to O.E. her "here." The modern spelling is phonetic, to retain the breathy -s-. Original sense is "away from here;" of time, from c.1380; meaning "from this (fact or circumstance)" first recorded 1586.

henchman --- 1360, hengestman "high-ranking servant," originally "groom," from man + O.E. hengest "horse, stallion, gelding," from P.Gmc. *khangistas (cf. O.Fris. hengst, Du. hengest, Ger. Hengst "stallion"), probably lit. "best at springing," from PIE *kenku- (cf. Gk. kekiein "to gush forth;" Lith. sokti "to jump, dance;" Breton kazek "a mare," lit. "that which belongs to a stallion"). Became obsolete, but retained in Scottish as "personal attendant of a Highland chief," in which sense Scott revived it in literary Eng. in 1810. Sense of "obedient or unscrupulous follower" is first recorded 1839, probably based on a misunderstanding of the word as used by Scott.

hendiadys --- 1586, figure of speech in which two nouns joined by and are used in place of a noun and an adj.; from M.L. alteration of Gk. hen dia duoin "one (thing) by means of two." If this term was used by Gk. grammarians it is no longer found in their writings, but it is frequent among L. writers.

henge --- 1740, noted as a Yorkshire word for structures such as Stonehenge.

Henley --- town on the Thames in Oxfordshire, site of annual regatta since 1839.

henna --- 1600, from Arabic hinna, name for the small thorny tree (Egyptian Privet, Lawsonia inermis), the leaves of which are used to make the reddish dye; said to be of Persian origin.

Hennessey --- Ir. surname, from O'(h)Aonghusa "descendant of Aonghus" ("one-choice").

henotheism --- 1860, from Gk. henos "one." Belief in a single god without asserting that he is the only god. Coined by (Friedrich) Max Müller (1823-1900), professor of comparative philology at Oxford.

Henry --- from Fr. Henri, from L.L. Henricus, from Ger. Heinrich, from O.H.G. Heimerich, lit. "the ruler of the house," from heim "home" + rihhi "ruler." One of the most popular Norman names after the Conquest.

hep (1) --- aware, up-to-date, first recorded 1908 in "Saturday Evening Post," but said to be underworld slang, of unknown origin. Variously said to have been the name of "a fabulous detective who operated in Cincinnati" or a saloonkeeper in Chicago who "never quite understood what was going on ... (but) thought he did." Taken up by jazz musicians by 1915; hepcat "addict of swing music" is from 1938.

hep (2) --- cry of those leading pogroms or attacks on Jews in Europe, 1839 (but in ref. to the riots of 1819 in Hamburg, etc.), perhaps the cry of a goatherd, or of a hunter urging on dogs, but popularly said to be acronym of L. Hierosolyma Est Perdita "Jerusalem is destroyed."

hepatitis --- 1727, coined from Gk. hepatos, gen. of hepar "liver," from PIE base *yequr(t) (gen. *yeqnes), cf. Skt. yakrt, Avestan yakar, L. jecur, O.Lith. jeknos "liver." The ending is Mod.L. -itis "inflammation."

Hephaestus --- 1658, Gk. god of fire and metal-working, Roman spelling of Gk. Hephaistos, a pre-Hellenic word of unknown origin.

Hephzibah --- fem. proper name, biblical, from Heb. Hephtzibah, lit. "my delight is in her," from hephtzi "my delight" (from haphetz "to delight, to desire") + bah "in her."

Hepplewhite --- 1897, in ref. to style of furniture introduced in England by cabinetmaker George Hepplewhite (d.1786). The proper name is from Heblethwaite, near Sedbergh in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

heptagon --- 1570, from Gk. heptagonon, from hepta "seven" (cognate with L. septem, Goth. sibun, O.E. seofon; see seven) + gonia "angle" (see knee).

her (objective case) --- O.E. hire, third pers. sing. fem. dat. pronoun, which beginning in 10c. replaced acc. hie (see he). Cognate with O.Fris. hiri, M.Du. hore, Du. haar, O.H.G. iru, Ger. ihr.

her (possessive case) --- O.E. hire, third pers. sing. fem. gen. form of heo "she."

Hera --- from Gk. Hera, lit. "protectress," related to heros "hero," originally "defender, protector."

herald --- c.1276 (in Anglo-Latin), "messenger, envoy," from Anglo-Fr. heraud, from O.Fr. heraut, hiraut, perhaps from Frank. *hariwald "commander of an army," from P.Gmc. *kharjaz "army" (from PIE root *koro- "war") + *wald- "to command, rule" (see wield). The form fits, but the sense evolution is difficult to explain, unless in ref. to the chief officer of a tournament, who introduced knights and made decisions on rules. The verb is c.1384, from the noun. Heraldry "art of arms and armorial bearings" is first recorded 1390, as heraldy, from O.Fr. hiraudie, from hiraut, originally "heralds collectively." The spelling with -r- is attested from 1572 (cf. poetry, pedantry).

herb --- c.1290, erbe, from O.Fr. erbe, from L. herba "grass, herb." Refashioned after L. since 15c., but the h- was mute until 19c. Herbaceous is from 1646.

Herbert --- introduced by the Normans, from O.Fr. Herbert, from Frank. *Hari-berct, *Her(e)-bert "army bright."

herbivorous --- plant-eating, 1661, from L. herba "a herb" + vorare "devour, swallow" (see voracious). Herbivore "plant-eater" is 1859, from Mod.L. herbivora (1830) in zoology.

herculean --- 1593, from Hercules (c.1369, as Ercules), from L. Hercles, from Gk. Herakles name of a famous hero, son of Zeus and Alcmene; lit. "Glory (kleos) of Hera," from Hera + -kles (see Damocles).

Hercynian --- 1589, designating the forest-covered mountains of ancient Germany, from L. Hercynia (silva) "Hercynian (forest)," related to Gk. Orkynios drymos, probably from O.Celt. *Perkunya, from PIE *perq(o)- "oak, oak forest, wooded mountain" (see fir).

herd --- O.E. heord, from P.Gmc. *kherdo- (cf. O.N. hjorð, O.H.G. herta, Ger. Herde, Goth. hairda "herd"), from PIE *kherdha- "a row, group" (cf. Skt. sardhah "herd, troop," O.C.S. creda "herd," Gk. korthys "heap," Lith. kerdzius "shepherd"). The verb is first recorded 1393. Herdsman is O.E. heordman, but not common until herd in sense of "keeper of domestic animals which go in herds" fell from use (cf. shepherd). Intrusive -s- appeared c.1600, on model of craftsman, etc. Herd instinct in psychology is first recorded 1908.

here --- O.E. her "in this place, where one puts himself," from P.Gmc. pronomial stem *khi- (from PIE *ki- "this") + adverbial suffix -r. The same base is the source of he. Hereafter is O.E. heræfter; heretofore preserves obsolete O.E. toforan. Phrase here today and gone tomorrow first recorded 1687, in writings of Aphra Behn.

heredity --- 1540, from M.Fr. hérédité, from L. hereditatem (nom. hereditas) "condition of being an heir," from heres (gen. heredis) "heir," from PIE base *ghe- "to be empty, left behind" (cf. Gk. khera "widow"). Legal sense of "inheritable quality or character" first recorded 1784; the modern biological sense seems to be found first in 1863, introduced by Herbert Spencer.

Herefordshire --- O.E. Herefordscir, from Hereford (958), lit. "ford suitable for the passage of an army." Probably so-called in ref. to the Roman road passing over the Wye River. Herford in Germany has the same etymology. As the name for a type of cattle, first bred there, it is attested from 1789.

heresy --- an opinion of private men different from that of the catholick and orthodox church [Johnson], c.1225, from O.Fr. heresie, from L. hæresis, "school of thought, philosophical sect," used by Christian writers for "unorthodox sect or doctrine," from Gk. hairesis "a taking or choosing," from haireisthai "take, seize," middle voice of hairein "to choose," of unknown origin. The Gk. word was used in N.T. in ref. to the Sadducees, Pharisees, and even the Christians, as sects of Judaism, but in Eng. bibles it is usually translated sect. Meaning "religious belief opposed to the orthodox doctrines of the Church" evolved in L.L. in the Dark Ages. Heretic (c.1330) is ult. from Gk. hairetikos "able to choose," the verbal adj. of hairein

heriot --- O.E. here-geatwe (pl.) "army-gear." An Anglo-Saxon service of weapons, loaned by the lord to his retainer and re-payable to him upon the retainer's death; transferred by 13c. to a feudal due upon the death of a tenant, payable to his lord in beasts.

heritage --- c.1225, "that which may be inherited," from O.Fr. eritage, from heriter "inherit," from L.L. hereditare, ult. from L. heres (gen. heredis) "heir" (see heredity).

Herman --- masc. proper name, from Ger. Hermann, from O.H.G. Hariman, lit. "man of war, warrior," from hari "host, army" + man "man."

hermaphrodite --- 1398 (harmofroditus), from L. hermaphroditus, from Gk. Hermaphroditos (L. Hermaphroditus), son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who, in Ovid, was loved by the nymph Salmacis so ardently that she prayed for complete union with him and as a result they were united bodily, combining male and female characteristics.

hermeneutic --- interpretive, 1678, from Gk. hermeneutikos "interpreting," from hermeneutes "interpreter," from hermeneuein "to interpret," considered ultimately a derivative of Hermes, as the tutelary divinity of speech, writing, and eloquence.

Hermes --- 1605, son of Zeus and Maia, god of commerce and Olympian messenger, from Gk. Hermes, of unknown origin.

hermetic --- 1605 (implied in hermetically), "completely sealed," also (1637) "dealing with occult science or alchemy," from L. hermeticus, from Gk. Hermes, god of science and art, among other things, identified by Neoplatonists, mystics, and alchemists with the Egyptian god Thoth as Hermes Trismegistos "Thrice-Great Hermes," who supposedly invented the process of making a glass tube airtight (a process in alchemy) using a secret seal.