Hectorers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who bully, intimidate, or repeatedly harass others through aggressive or domineering behavior
2. Persons exhibiting persistent and overbearing conduct aimed at frightening or pressuring others
3. Actors who use threats, bluster, or coercive tactics to dominate or oppress individuals in a hostile manner

Etymology: "Hectorers" is the plural of "hectorer," which is formed from "hector" plus the agent suffix "-er," so it names people who hector. The more interesting story lies in the verb it comes from. "Hector" is the name of the Trojan prince in Homer's "Iliad," the bravest defender of Troy, and English adopted his name as a verb meaning to bully or browbeat, a sense that owes more to the way the name was later used than to the epic itself. The noun "hector" in its older sense referred to a bully or swaggerer, and the plural "hectorers" follows the same pattern, picking out people who keep up that kind of intimidating behaviour. Because the form is a plain combination of an existing verb and a suffix, the word needs no special explanation beyond that.

Synonyms: bullies, intimidators, tyrants, oppressors, harassers

Antonyms: protectors, defenders, helpers, supporters, allies