Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

Medical

Scrabble^®

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Dictionary

henry

noun hen·ry \ˈhen-rē\

plural henrys or henries

Definition of HENRY

: the practical meter-kilogram-second unit of inductance equal to the self-inductance of a circuit or the mutual inductance of two circuits in which the variation of one ampere per second results in an induced electromotive force of one volt

Origin of HENRY

Joseph Henry

First Known Use: circa 1890

Henry

biographical name Hen·ry \ˈhen-rē\

Definition of HENRY

name of 8 kings of England: I 1068–1135 (reigned 1100–35); II 1133–1189 (reigned 1154–89); III 1207–1272 (reigned 1216–72); IV 1366–1413 (reigned 1399–1413); V 1387–1422 (reigned 1413–22); VI 1421–1471 (reigned 1422–61 & 1470–71); VII 1457–1509 (reigned 1485–1509); VIII 1491–1547 (reigned 1509–47)

Henry

biographical name

Definition of HENRY

name of 4 kings of France: I ca 1008–1060 (reigned 1031–60); II 1519–1559 (reigned 1547–59); III 1551–1589 (reigned 1574–89); IV (Henry III of Navarre) 1553–1610 (reigned 1589–1610)

Henry

biographical name

Definition of HENRY

1394–1460 the Navigator Port. prince

Henry

biographical name

Definition of HENRY

Joseph 1797–1878 Am. physicist

Henry

biographical name

Definition of HENRY

O. — see William Sydney porter

Henry

biographical name

Definition of HENRY

Patrick 1736–1799 Am. statesman & orator

Medical Dictionary

henry

noun hen·ry \ˈhen-rē\

plural henrys or henries

Medical Definition of HENRY

: the practical mks unit of inductance equal to the self-inductance of a circuit or the mutual inductance of two circuits in which the variation of one ampere per second results in an induced electromotive force of one volt

Biographical Note for HENRY

Henry, Joseph (1797–1878), American physicist. Henry was a schoolteacher in Albany, New York, and later a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Princeton. He conducted a series of investigations into electric phenomena, particularly those related to magnetism. His first major achievement was building a powerful electromagnet, for which he developed insulated wire in order to make a closely wound coil of several layers. He is also credited with constructing primitive versions of the telegraph and the electric motor. In 1846 he became the first secretary and director of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In recognition of his work, his name was given to the henry, the unit of electrical inductance, by international agreement in 1893.