https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_fund#Etymology
"Early hedge funds sought to hedge specific investments against general market fluctuations by shorting the market, hence the name.
Nowadays, however, many different investment strategies are used, many of which do not "hedge" risk."
They're still not generally designed to beat the S&P 500, always.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_fund#Etymology
"Early hedge funds sought to hedge specific investments against general market fluctuations by shorting the market, hence the name.
Nowadays, however, many different investment strategies are used, many of which do not "hedge" risk."