Link Centre Dictionary

hero

UK/ˈhɪə.ɹəʊ/ US/ˈhɪə.ɹəʊ~ˈçɪə.ɹəʊ/ common informal

noun

1.

a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength

  • “RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain”
2.

the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem

3.

someone who fights for a cause

Synonyms
4.
5.

(classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god

6.

(Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her

7.

Origin

From Middle English heroes, from Old French heroes, from Latin hērōs (“hero”), from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “demi-god, hero”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to watch over, protect”); if so, related to Latin servo (“protect”). Displaced Middle English heleð, haleð, from Old English hæleþ, hæle.

Phrases

  • action hero
  • an hero
  • Byronic hero
  • Clitar Hero
  • cult hero
  • culture hero
  • dark hero
  • folk hero

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.