Etymologically
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heroic

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /hɪˈɹəʊ.ɪk/ (UK); /hɪˈɹoʊ.ɪk/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French heroïque and Latin hērōicus (“of a hero, heroic”),[2][3][4] from Ancient Greek ἡρωικός (hērōikós, “of or for a hero”),[5][6][7] from ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”).[5][7][4] Etymonline describes it as shortened from the earlier heroical (early 15th century).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of an action or quality, brave, noble, characteristic of a hero: about 1550, in the Complaynt of Scotland;[2] SOED and Merriam-Webster date the word to the 15th century.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

From the 1580s it described verse and poetry dealing with mythological or historical heroes, as in Sidney's Apologie for Poetrie,[2] and the grand style of such poetry, which could also be called bombastic (1590, Spenser).[2] Heroic age for the period of Greek legend before and after the Trojan War is from 1654,[2] and the period of greatest achievement in any field from 1793.[2] From 1632 it also meant ambitious or involving extreme measures,[2][5] and in medicine, aggressive treatment that may save a life but risks harm (1818).[2] A heroic statue is larger than life but smaller than colossal (1712),[2] and humorously anything enormous (1785).[2] The plural noun heroics, extravagant or showy behaviour, grew from the noun use (heroic verse, 1573).[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1550 – brave, noble.[2]
  • 1573 – the noun, heroic verse.[6]
  • c. 1585 – of verse, used for epic subjects.[2]
  • 1632 – bold, involving great effort.[2]
  • 1654 – heroic age.[2]
  • 1712 – of a statue, larger than life.[2]
  • 1818 – of medical treatment, drastic.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Showing great courage or nobility; like a hero.
  2. Relating to the heroes of myth and legend, or to poetry about them; epic.
  3. Very large or ambitious; involving extreme effort or measures.
  4. Of a statue, larger than life-size.

Noun

  1. heroics: showy or extravagant behaviour or talk; also, brave deeds.

Word family

  • heroically
  • heroicalness
  • antiheroic
  • heroicize
  • heroicomic
  • mock-heroic
  • nonheroic
  • pseudoheroic
  • hero
  • heroine
  • heroism

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.