01 n. An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules.
pl.
Heroes ((hē"rōz))
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1.
An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules.(Myth.)
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2.
A man of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great or illustrious person.“Each man is a hero and oracle to somebody.” — Emerson.
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3.
The principal personage in a poem, story, and the like, or the person who has the principal share in the transactions related; as Achilles in the Iliad, Ulysses in the Odyssey, and Aeneas in the Aeneid.“The shining quality of an epic hero.” — Dryden.“Hero worship exists, has existed, and will forever exist, universally among mankind.” — Carlyle.
Phrases & compounds
Hero worship —
extravagant admiration for great men, likened to the ancient worship of heroes.