John Henry

1 of 2

noun (1)

John Hen·​ry ˈjän-ˈhen-rē 

: an autograph signature

John Henry

2 of 2

noun (2)

John Hen·​ry ˈjän-ˈhen-rē 

: Black freeman in American folklore who challenged and defeated a machine in a contest to drive steel drills and who died from the effort

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

from the name John Henry, from confusion with John Hancock

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1914, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1928, in the meaning defined above