Hercules

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. The Roman name for the Greek divine hero Heracles, who was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, a celebrated hero who possessed exceptional strength. Most famous for his twelve labours performed to redeem himself after killing his family.
  2. A summer constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble the mythical hero, lying between the constellations Lyra and Corona Borealis.
  3. A crater in the first quadrant on the moon.
  4. A male given name from Ancient Greek.
  5. A city in Contra Costa County, California, United States.
noun
  1. A Hercules beetle.
  2. A man with Herculean attributes.

Pronunciation

/ˈhɜːkjəliːz/ /ˈhɜːkjʊliːz/ /ˈhɝːkjəliːz/ /ˈhɝːkjʊliːz/ en-uk-Hercules.ogg

Word forms

Hercules Herculeses Herculesses Hercules's

Etymology

From Latin Herculēs, from Etruscan 𐌇𐌄𐌓𐌂𐌋𐌄 (hercle), from Ancient Greek Ἡρακλῆς (Hēraklês), apparently cognate of Ἥρα (Hḗra, “Hera”) and, according to Haudry, from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ (“year, season”) + κλέος (kléos, “glory”).

Synonyms

Derived words

Gates of Hercules Her Herc Herculean Herculinian Herculis
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