heroine
See also: héroïne and heroïne
English
Etymology
Via Latin heroina from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine.
- English from 1650. The sense of "female lead character" is from 1715.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhɛɹoʊɪn/, /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/
Audio (US) (file) - Homophone: heroin
Noun
heroine (plural heroines, masculine hero)
- A female hero.
- A female lead character.
- 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, in The Affair at the Novelty Theatre:
- 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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Usage notes
- In sense 1, hero, the masculine of heroine, is sometimes used, though it is still acceptable to use the feminine.
- She is an American hero (or heroine).
- Like feminine nouns formed with the suffix -ess, heroine refers only to females, whereas hero can refer to both males and females.
- Who is your favorite hero? (answer can refer to either sex)
- Who is your favorite heroine? (answer can refer only to females)
Synonyms
- shero
Derived terms
- antiheroine
- heroinic
- heroinism
- superheroine
Translations
female hero
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