hero

1. a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength;

"RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"

2. the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem

3. someone who fights for a cause

4. (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god

5. a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States

来自希腊语heros,半神半人，通常为神和凡人的后代，特别是宙斯在人间的私生子。来自PIE*ser,观察，保护，词源同observe,conserve.这些神和人的后代通常具有超人的勇气和力量，而且多在古希腊神话中留下诸多英雄事迹，因此引申词义英雄。参照电影《诸神之战》。

hero

hero: [14] Hero is a Greek word – hérōs – applied in ancient times to men of superhuman ability or courage, and in due course by extension to demigods. At first it was used in English simply to render this Greek notion, and it was not until the late 16th century that the extended and more general sense ‘brave or otherwise admirable man’ began to emerge. ‘Chief character in a story’ is a late 17th-century development.

English acquired the word via Latin hērōs as heros, but it was not long before this became interpreted as a plural, and a new singular hero was formed. Heroin [19] comes from German heroin, said to have been coined from the delusions of heroism which afflict those who take the drug.
=> heroin

hero (n.1)

late 14c., "man of superhuman strength or physical courage," from Latin heros "hero," from Greek heros "demi-god" (a variant singular of which was heroe), perhaps originally "defender, protector," and from PIE root *ser- (1) "to watch over, protect" (see observe). Meaning "man who exhibits great bravery" in any course of action is from 1660s. Sense of "chief male character in a play, story, etc." first recorded 1690s. First record of hero-worship is from 1774.

hero (n.2)

1955, the New York term for a sandwich elsewhere called submarine, grinder, poor boy (New Orleans), or hoagie (Philadelphia); origin unknown, perhaps so called for its great size, or a folk etymology alteration of Greek gyro as a type of sandwich.

When I looked at him and saw what he was doing and what he was asking for, I said he was my hero.

2017年12月四级真题（第一套）听力 Section A

When we ask teens to choose a hero, they usually select an older family member rather than a remote public figure.

出自-2016年6月阅读原文

Our subject this evening is James Dean, actor and hero for the young people of his time.

出自-2010年6月听力原文

There were Pickwick coats and Pickwick cigars, and the plump, spectacled hero, Samuel Pickwick, became a national figure.

出自-2017年考研阅读原文

There were pickwick coats and pickwick cigars, and the plump, spectacled hero, Samuel pickwick, became a national figure.

2017年考研真题（英语一）阅读理解 Section Ⅱ

1. The mystery hero imme-diately alerted police after spotting a bomb.

那个无名英雄发现炸弹后马上报了警。

来自柯林斯例句

2. He called Mr Mandela a hero who had inspired millions.

他称曼德拉先生为鼓舞了数百万民众的英雄。

来自柯林斯例句

3. The hero, Danny, bears an uncanny resemblance to Kirk Douglas.

主人公丹尼与柯克·道格拉斯出奇地相像。

来自柯林斯例句

4. Jack was a folk hero in the Greenwich Village bars.

在格林尼治村的酒吧里杰克是人们心目中的英雄。

来自柯林斯例句

5. England's World Cup hero is determined to play through the pain barrier.

英格兰的世界杯英雄决定带伤上阵。

来自柯林斯例句