heroism

Etymology

It is borrowed from French héroïsme (“heroic action or conduct”),^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} recorded in French from 1658,^[2] from héros (“hero”) and -isme.^[2][4] Hero is from Latin hērōs,^[4][5] from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs), of unknown origin.^[2] The OED compares Spanish heroísmo, Italian eroismo (1710) and Hellenistic ἡρωισμός (hērōismós, “cult of heroes”), and the earlier English word heroicism.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Heroic action or conduct, great bravery: 1672, in J. Davies's translation of Rapin's observations on Homer and Virgil.^[2][4] Etymonline gives 1717.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The sense has stayed close to that of hero: the qualities or conduct of a hero.^[2][8] Johnson (1755) defined it as "the qualities or character of an hero", quoting Broome's notes on the Odyssey.^[7] From 1740 it was also used of a single heroic act or quality, chiefly in the plural,^[2] a sense the Shorter Oxford dates to the mid 19th century.^[8] The OED notes possibly earlier forms herocisme in 1654 and 1667, which may be misprints for heroicism.^[2]

Timeline

• 1672 – heroic conduct, great bravery.^[2][4] Etymonline dates the word to 1717.^[3]
• 1739 – a brave act, especially one formally recognized with an award.^[2]
• 1740 – a heroic action or quality, chiefly in the plural.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Great bravery or heroic conduct; the qualities of a hero, such as courage and self-sacrifice: The firefighters were praised for their heroism.^[9][4][2]
2. A heroic act or quality.^[2][8]

Related words

• hero
• heroic
• heroine

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
8. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins