him

The word 'him' traces its lineage directly back to Proto-Germanic himmai, the dative form of the third-person masculine pronoun. This Proto-Germanic form itself evolved from the Proto-Indo-European demonstrative and pronominal stem ḱe-, ḱey- (this, here). In Old English, the pronoun system distinguished between cases; 'him' was specifically the dative case form, used for the indirect object. Over time, as English grammar simplified its case system, 'him' absorbed the functions of the old accusative case as well, becoming the standard object form for the masculine singular pronoun, a role it retains in Modern English.

The word 'him' is a simplex pronoun. It originates from Old English 'him', the dative singular form of the pronoun 'he'. Its functional role is solely as an object pronoun.