Meaning of hero in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈhɪroʊ/

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    UK accent

  1. Noun

    hero

    Etymology

    Middle English (with mythological reference): via Latin from Greek hērōs

    Definitions

    1. a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength

    Examples

    • « RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain »
  2. 2. the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
  3. 3. someone who fights for a cause

    Derived terms

  4. 4. Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
  5. 5. (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits

    Examples

    • « often the offspring of a mortal and a god »
  6. 6. (Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her
  7. 7. a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments)

    Examples

    • « different names are used in different sections of the United States »

Famous quotes

  • « Existentialism is about being a saint without God being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society. »
    Anita Brookner
  • « Our enemies, like the Grecian hero, have one vulnerable point. You have not touched it yet. What should have been their element of weakness has been suffered to remain an element of strength. »
    Jay Alan Sekulow
  • « When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home. »
    Tecumseh
  • « You know, we're each the hero of our own story and we perceive what's going on around us, and especially in a relationship, from the kind of viewpoint of, 'Well, this is my story, and I'm the hero of that, and I justify what I do around it.' »
    Michael Sheen
  • « It's kind of ironic that the two sports with the greatest characters, boxing and horse racing, have both been on the decline. In both cases it's for the lack of a suitable hero. »
    Dick Schaap

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