Heros

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who is admired for their courage or outstanding achievements in a specific field or endeavor
2. someone embodying noble qualities through selfless acts for the greater good
3. a character in literature or mythology celebrated for their remarkable bravery and accomplishments

Etymology: "Heros" is simply the plural of "hero," so its story is the story of "hero." The noun traces back to ancient Greek "hērōs," which meant a demigod or a warrior of the heroic age, a figure halfway between mortals and gods. Greek writers used it for the great figures of myth such as Achilles and Odysseus, and the Latin form "hērōs" carried that sense into Rome. The English path runs through Old French. Middle English borrowed the plural "heroes" from Old French, and the singular "hero" followed. Before "hero" took hold, English had its own word for a brave man, "hæleþ" in Old English, which survived as "health" in its older sense of a person or warrior. That older word was displaced, so the Greek import ended up replacing a native English term for a champion. A possible deeper root is the Proto-Indo-European "*ser-," meaning "to watch over, protect," which would connect the hero to the Latin "servo," "protect." This link is uncertain, so it should be treated as a guess rather than settled fact.

Synonyms: heroes, champions, warriors, defenders

Antonyms: villains, cowards, traitors