English
heroic
Heroic comes from Latin hērōicus ‘heroic, epic’, and goes back to Ancient Greek ἥρως ‘hero’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἥρως‘hero’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἡρωϊκός‘of or for a hero, heroic’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērōicus‘heroic, epic’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600heroïque
- Englishearliest quotation 1928heroic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἥρως‘hero’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἡρωϊκός‘of or for a hero, heroic’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērōicus‘heroic, epic’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600heroïque
- Englishearliest quotation 1928heroic
Earliest quotation: 1928, Franklin D. Roosevelt, The Happy Warrior Alfred E. Smith: “To stand upon the ramparts and die for our…”
Equivalent to hero + -ic
Every English word from Ancient Greek ἥρως
Today it means
adj Of or relating to a hero or heroine; supremely noble.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἥρως / heroic