The Plural of “Hero” is “Heroes”, Not “Heros”
You should know the plural of “hero” is “heroes”, not “heros”.
With it being Memorial Day and so many people posting on Facebook/Twitter/etc. about all the “heros” out there, I thought I’d do a quick post to help people avoid being murdered in their beds by Grammar Nazis, as I’ve nearly been on numerous occasions, only managing to fend them off by holding up my copy of Handbook of English Grammar and Usage and yelling “the power of Webster compels you!” So just remember, the plural of “hero” is “heroes”.
In case you’re curious, the word “hero” popped up in English around the 14th century from the Ancient Greek ἥρως (“heros”), meaning “hero, warrior, demi-god”. This Ancient Greek word is thought by some etymologists to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root “*ser”, meaning “to watch over, protect”.
Incidentally, the German “heroisch” (“heroic”) also has a similar origin and ultimately gave rise to the name of the Bayer drug “heroin”, which you can read more about here: The Pharmaceutical Company Bayer Coined the Name “Heroin” and Marketed the Drug as a Non-Addictive Cough Medicine
| Share the Knowledge! |
          |
 |
Thank you for making my job easier.
Grammar Nazi Salute!
Obviously people aren’t listening to enough old David Bowie.
I thought everyone already knew this. Then again, I /am/ a huge fan of Bowie. That might have something to do with it.
Any half-wit would alredy know this. I did
Thank you so much for clarifying. Auto correct sucks.
But… why is it “heroes” to begin with, and not simply “hero + s”? Where is that e coming from? I find it hard to believe it was added to differentiate from the (transliterated from) Greek “heros” or something, as the creators of this language have never cared about such small forms of respect.
I noticed no answer…I agree with you. How did the ‘e’ get inserted.
I see “hero’s” all over the place – an apostrophe after the o.
I had no idea of the amount of illiterate people.
Words fail me
Helpful. But would’ve avoided the reference to being a grammar ‘nazi’ directly after example of heroes on Memorial Day.