Hercules

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A legendary hero in ancient mythology recognized for incredible feats of strength and bravery
2. An iconic character from classical mythology celebrated for his extraordinary power and notable heroic challenges
3. A figure from ancient stories famous for extraordinary strength and heroic deeds

Etymology: Hercules is the Latin form of the Greek hero Heracles, and the name's Greek form was itself shaped by the goddess Hera, whose name it seems to share. The Greek "Hēraklēs" is generally read as combining "Hera" with "kleos," meaning "glory," so the name would mean something like "glory of Hera," though this reading is debated. A scholarly suggestion links the first element instead to a word for "year" or "season," which would make the name "glory of the year," but the Hera connection is the one most often cited. The Romans took the Greek name and gave it a Latin ending, producing "Herculēs." Along the way the name passed through Etruscan, the language of the people who preceded the Romans in central Italy, where it appears as "hercle." The Roman form is the one that gave English its version, and the Greek and Latin forms are now doublets, meaning two English words that descend from the same source by different routes.