LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

hērōs

hērōs m (genitive hērōis)
Classical[ˈheː.roːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈɛː.ros]

Meaning

  1. literallydemigod, hero
  2. an illustrious man

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Numen · Deus · Divus · Semo · Heros

Numen (πνεῦμα) in a wider sense is any divine being, like δαίμων; in a narrower sense it is used as a species of Deus, or ancient Divus, θεός; and for semideus, a half-god; or semo, a half-man; for which last, besides the foreign word heros, numen also is used. Plin. Pan. 2, 3. Nusquam ut deo, nusquam ut numini blandimur. (vi. 239.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativehērōshērōē̆s
genitivehērōishērōum
dativehērōīhērōibus
hērōisin
accusativehērōa
hērōem		hērōas
hērōēs
ablativehērōehērōibus
vocativehērōshērōē̆s

hēros, ōis, m., = ἥρως,
I. a demi-god, hero.
I. Lit.: heroum veteres casus imitari, Cic. de Or. 2, 47, 194: ille deum vitam accipiet divisque videbit Permixtos heroas, Verg. E. 4, 16: magnanimi heroes, id. A. 6, 649: incipit Aeneas heros, id. ib. 6, 103; called also: Troius heros, id. ib. 451: Laertius heros, i. e. Ulysses, Ov. Tr. 5, 5, 3: quem virum aut heroa lyra vel acri Tibia sumis celebrare, Clio? Hor. C. 1, 12, 1: Ajax heros, id. S. 2, 3, 193: intererit multum, divusne loquatur an heros, id. A. P. 114.—Adj., of or belonging to a hero or heroes, heroic: ecce modo heroas sensus efferre videmus Nugari solitos Graece (for heroicos or heroos), heroic thoughts or deeds, Pers. 1, 69.—
II. Transf., in Cicero of illustrious men: heros ille noster Cato, Cic. Att. 1, 17, 9: Antonii colloquium cum heroibus nostris (i. e. Bruto et Cassio), id. ib. 14, 6, 1: illorum fuit heroum (i. e. Platonis et Aristotelis), id. Rep. 3, 8; and ironically of Clodius: ignari, quantum in illo heroe esset animi, id. Att. 4, 3, 5.

Origins

From the Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero; demigod”).

Descendants
  • Catalanheroi
  • Frenchhéros
  • Englishherofrom French héros
  • Romanianeroufrom French héros
  • GermanHeros
  • GermanHeroe
  • Italianeroe
  • Portugueseherói
  • Spanishhéroe
  • Basqueheroi

In English words that came into English from hērōs

  • herohērōs

Quick answers

What does hērōs mean in Latin?
hērōs, a noun, means “demigod, hero; an illustrious man”.
What is the genitive of hērōs?
The genitive singular is hērōis. hērōs is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce hērōs?
In classical Latin, [ˈheː.roːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɛː.ros].