English Explanatory Dictionary

heroine

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A female hero.
  2. A female lead character.
adj
  1. Characteristic of a heroine; heroic.
noun
  1. Obsolete spelling of heroin.

Pronunciation

hîrōĭn /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/ en-us-heroine.ogg /hiro.ɪn/ hĕrōĭn /ˈhɛɹəʊɪn/ /ˈhɛɹoʊɪn/

Word forms

heroine heroines heroin

Etymology

From Latin hērōīna, from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine (suffix forming feminine nouns). * English from 1587. The sense of "female lead character" is from 1715.

Synonyms

shero hera heroinely heroinic

Derived words

anti-heroine antiheroine Byronic heroine heroinely heroineship heroinic heroinism heroinize mother heroine superheroine tragic heroine
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