Heroin

See also: heroin, heróín, and hê-rô-in

German

Etymology 1

Invented as a brand name by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, which started marketing heroine in 1895. The name was coined to evoke heroisch (“heroic”), ultimately from Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /heʁoˈiːn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: He‧ro‧in

Noun

Heroin n (strong, genitive Heroins, no plural)

1. heroin

   Synonyms: Diacetylmorphin n, Diamorphin n

   • 1982, “Ganz Wien”, in Einzelhaft, performed by Falco:

     Ganz Wien / Ist heit auf Heroin / Ganz Wien / Träumt mit Mozambin / Ganz Wien, Wien, Wien / Greift auch zu Kokain

     All of Vienna / Is on heroin the day / All of Vienna / Dreams with Mozambine / All of Vienna, Vienna, Vienna / Also uses cocaine

Declension

Declension of Heroin [sg-only, neuter, strong]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Heroin
genitive	eines	des	Heroins
dative	einem	dem	Heroin
accusative	ein	das	Heroin

Descendants

• → English: heroin
• → Polish: heroina

Further reading

• Heroin on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• “Heroin” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Heroin” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Heroin (Droge)” in Duden online

Etymology 2

From Heros +‎ -in. Alteration of the variant Heroine, which is from Latin heroina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /heˈʁoː.ɪn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: He‧ro‧in

Noun

Heroin f (genitive Heroin, plural Heroinnen)

1. (learned, higher register) female hero

   Synonym: Heldin

2. (theater) heroine, female protagonist

Declension

Declension of Heroin [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Heroin	die	Heroinnen
genitive	einer	der	Heroin	der	Heroinnen
dative	einer	der	Heroin	den	Heroinnen
accusative	eine	die	Heroin	die	Heroinnen

Alternative forms

• Heroine

Further reading

• “Heroin (Heldin)” in Duden online