heroine
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: héroïne
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Via Latin heroina from late Ancient Greek (2nd century) ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”) "hero, demigod".
- English from 1650. The sense of "female lead character" is from 1715.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
heroine (plural heroines)
- A female hero.
- A female lead character.
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1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, The Affair at the Novelty Theatre[1]:
- Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels.
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Synonyms[edit]
Hypernyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Usage notes[edit]
In the sense 1, it is more common to say hero today.
- She is an American hero.
Translations[edit]
female hero
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