Where does “Hercules” come from?
Hercules comes from Ancient Greek Ἡρακλῆς, composed of ἥρως (hero) and κλέος (glory), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- meaning to hear or be famous.
Hercules (English): The Roman name for the Greek divine hero Heracles, who was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, a celebrated hero who possessed exceptional strength. Most famous for his twelve labours performed to redeem himself after killing his family
Definitions
- The Roman name for the Greek divine hero Heracles, who was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, a celebrated hero who possessed exceptional strength. Most famous for his twelve labours performed to redeem himself after killing his family
Ancestry of “Hercules”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Herculēs | Hercules, Heracles, heroic son of Zeus |
| 2 | Etruscan | 𐌇𐌄𐌓𐌂𐌋𐌄 | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ἡρακλῆς | Heracles |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -κλῆς | An element found in given names |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -κλέης | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κλέος | rumour, report; good report, fame, glory; bad... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | kléwos | fame |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱléwos | fame |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |