English 'he' from PIE *ḱi- (this, here) originally meant simply 'this one' — all English third-person pronouns (he, she, it) are recycled demonstratives meaning 'this/that,' not ancient words for male or female persons.
Used to refer to a male person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified.
From Old English 'hē' (he), from Proto-Germanic *hiz (he, this one), from PIE *ḱe- / *ḱi- (this, here — the same demonstrative root as 'it'). The pronoun originally meant simply 'this one' without inherent gender — the masculine meaning was a Germanic innovation. The system 'he/she/it' was originally 'this one (masculine) / this one (feminine) / this thing (neuter),' all built on demonstrative roots meaning 'this' or 'that.' Key roots: *ḱe- / *ḱi- (Proto-Indo-European: "this, here (demonstrative)").
'He,' 'she,' 'it,' 'here,' 'hence,' and 'hither' all descend from PIE demonstratives meaning 'this/that.' English third-person pronouns are not ancient 'person' words — they are recycled pointing words. 'He' literally meant 'this one.' 'Here' meant 'at this place.' The entire English pronoun system was built from demonstratives, not from words meaning 'male person' or 'female person.'