Etymologically
Log in

eroe

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 21:10. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

eroe m (plural eroi, feminine eroina)[1] The older spelling is Old Italian heroe.[1][2] The feminine is eroina, and an old feminine eroessa is also recorded.[1][3][4]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin hērōs (“hero, demigod”), taken from its accusative form.[5][6][1] The Latin word is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, deified hero”), whose origin is uncertain.[5][4][7] Nocentini connects it with the name Ancient Greek Ἥρα (Hḗra), the goddess Juno.[8] The word spread with the culture of humanism, and is also French héros, recorded from the 14th century, and Spanish héroe.[9][3][8]

The adjective eroico is hērōicus and the feminine eroina “heroine” is hērōīnē, both from Greek.[5][8] The name of the drug heroin is the same word with the chemical suffix ⟨-ina⟩, given, DELI says, for its strong action.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's earliest record is the Florentine translation of Marsilius of Padua's Defensor pacis (1363), where the word names someone of outstanding, especially warlike, virtue, said above all of demigods.[2] DELI's first dates are from Ariosto's Orlando furioso (1516), both for the demigod born of a god and a mortal and for a man famous for his valour.[5]

Semantic evolution

The sense “main character of a literary work” is dated 1620–1639 (Benedetto Fioretti).[5] Eroico had come earlier: stile heroïco is found in 1381–1382, and verso eroico for the hexameter of epic before 1405.[5] Eroismo appears in 1710 in Lorenzo Magalotti, on the model of French héroisme.[5][8]

Writers of the 20th century complained that the word had been cheapened: Panzini noted in 1905 that anyone who rescued a swimmer or put out a fire could now be called a hero.[5] L'eroe dei due mondi “the hero of two worlds” is Garibaldi, who fought in Europe and South America.[4][10] In jest the word is used for whoever is the centre of attention, as in l'eroe della serata.[6][11]

Timeline

  • 1363 – The word appears in the Florentine Defensor pacis.[2]
  • 1381–1382 – Stile heroïco is recorded.[5]
  • Before 1400 – Eruina “heroic woman” is used by Franco Sacchetti.[5]
  • 1516 – Ariosto uses eroe in the Orlando furioso.[5]
  • 1620–1639 – The sense “protagonist” is recorded.[5]
  • 1710 – Eroismo is recorded.[5]
  • 1902 – Eroina “heroin” is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. hero: someone who shows extraordinary courage or self-sacrifice, especially for an ideal: È morto da eroe salvando due bambini dal fiume.[6][12][11]
  2. The main character of a literary, musical or cinematic work; protagonist: Il nostro eroe arriva finalmente a Parigi.[6][12][11]
  3. (mythology) A demigod or man of exceptional virtue to whom legendary deeds are attributed.[6][12][11]
  4. (humorous) Whoever is the centre of attention at an event: l'eroe del matrimonio.[6][11][12]

Word family

  • eroico
  • eroismo
  • eroina
  • eroicomico
  • eroicità
  • eroicizzare
  • antieroe
  • supereroe
  • Latin heros
  • Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs)

Usage notes

Fare l'eroe means to take risks needlessly, to show off one's courage.[4][10] Eroe da poltrona or da caffè is someone brave only in words.[4][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1524
  4. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  10. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  12. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli