Etymograph

English

hero

Hero comes from Middle English heroes, from Old French heroes, from Latin hērōs, from Greek ἥρως ‘demigod, hero’, of uncertain origin.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἥρως1hḗrōs‘demi-god’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērōs1
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400heroes1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heroes1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1986hero1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English hero
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1986, Cancer victim some kind of hero: “"I'm no hero," insists freckle-faced 14-year-old Freddie Hanberry. But…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἥρωςWiktionary, English herohḗrōs‘demi-god’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērōsWiktionary, English hero
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400heroesWiktionary, English hero
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heroesWiktionary, English hero
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1986heroWiktionary, English hero. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1986, Cancer victim some kind of hero: “"I'm no hero," insists freckle-faced 14-year-old Freddie Hanberry. But…”

The story

From Middle English heroes, from Old French heroes, from Latin hērōs (‘hero’), from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “demi-god, hero”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (‘to watch over, protect’); if so, related to Latin servo (‘protect’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with hero, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘to watch over, protect’

  • service ← servise ← serfis ← servise ← servitium
  • series ← serō ← *serō ← *séreti
  • sort ← sorte ← sortem ← sors ← *sortis
  • stream ← streem ← *straum ← *straumaz ← *srowmos
  • serve ← serven ← servir ← serviō ← servus
  • conservative ← conservatif ← cōnservō ← servō ← servus
  • desert ← dēsertum ← dēserō ← serō ← *serō
  • insert ← insertus ← serō ← *serō ← *séreti
  • reservoir ← réserver ← reservō ← servō ← servus
  • assertion ← assercioun ← assertiō ← asserō ← *adserō
  • sermon ← sermoun ← sermun ← sermō ← *sermō
  • conservatism ← conservō ← servō ← servus ← servos

49 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

noun Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary or noble deeds.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hero”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἥρως / hero