superhero English · revision 15463

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1899}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈs(j)upɚhɪɹoʊ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|en|super-|hero]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(Chambers 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ 1908, in a translation of Nietzsche, in Etymonline;^(Etymonline) Merriam-Webster dates it to 1899.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was used in 1930 of Tarzan,^(Etymonline) and the modern sense, a comic-book character with superhuman powers who fights evil, dates from the 1960s.^(Etymonline)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1899 – superhero (Merriam-Webster).^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1908 – in a translation of Nietzsche.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1930 – of Tarzan.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1960s – the comic-book superhero.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A fictional character, especially in [[comic|alt=comics]] or films, with superhuman powers who fights evil or crime.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[superbeing]]

+ * [[superheroic]]

+ * [[superheroine]]

+ * [[superhuman]]

+ * [[superman]]

+ * [[superpower]]

+ * [[hero]]

+ * [[super-]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}