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Apr 15, 2022
This week’s themeEponyms This week’s words pyrrhonism morphetic Rothschild roorback Hercules
Hercules and the Nemean Lion
(1776-77) Art: Marcello Bacciarelli This week’s comments AWADmail 1033 Next week’s theme There’s a verb form for it A.Word.A.Day
with Anu GargHercules
PRONUNCIATION:
MEANING:
noun: A man of extraordinary strength or size.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Hercules, the son of Zeus and Alcmene in Greek mythology. Hercules
performed many feats requiring extraordinary strength and effort, such as
cleaning the Augean stables. He
also slew the monster Hydra.
Earliest documented use: 1567. Also see herculean.
USAGE:
“[Doug Gilmour] looks nothing like a Hercules who can lift whole teams
and whole buildings.” David Shoalts; New Jersey Staves Off Elimination; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); May 1, 1998. See more usage examples of Hercules in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most active.
-Leonardo da Vinci, painter, engineer, musician, and scientist (15 Apr
1452-1519)
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