The French and Italian third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'him' or 'he' (used as a stressed form).
From Latin illui, the dative form of ille (that one, he). The word evolved through Vulgar Latin into Old French and Italian, maintaining its function as a masculine pronoun while losing some of Latin's complex case distinctions.
Unlike English pronouns, 'lui' serves multiple grammatical functions in Romance languages—it can mean 'him,' 'to him,' or serve as an emphatic form of 'he.' This versatility reflects how Romance languages preserved more of Latin's pronoun system than Germanic languages like English did.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.