heros

Forms

hērōs m (genitive hērōis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”).^[2][3][1][4] It keeps Greek inflection, with genitive ⟨hērōos⟩ or ⟨hērōis⟩ and accusative plural ⟨hērōas⟩.^[2][1][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cato.^[4] The OLD's earliest quotation is Cicero on imitating the ancient misfortunes of heroes in speeches.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is a mythical hero or demigod, as Virgil's child who will see heroes mingled with the gods, and his great-souled heroes in the underworld.^[2][5] Cicero applies it to a man of heroic qualities, calling Cato “our hero”, and in Persius it seems to be used as an adjective, heroic.^[2][1]

In medieval Latin it took the sense lord or baron under the influence of the Frankish word ⟨hero⟩ “lord”, and also saint, especially a martyr.^[6]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – First recorded in Cato.^[4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of the misfortunes of heroes and of Cato as a hero.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of heroes among the gods.^[5][4]
• 34–62 AD – Persius of heroic feelings.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A demigod, mythical hero.^[2][5][1]
2. A man of heroic qualities, an illustrious man.^[2][1]
3. (Medieval Latin) A lord, baron.^[6]
4. (Medieval Latin) A saint, especially a martyr.^[6]

Related words

• hērōicē
• hērōicus
• hērōīna
• hērōis
• hērōus
• sēmideus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill