Lurking in hernes and in lanes blind.
Chaucer.
Her"ni*a (?), n.; pl. E. Hernias (#), L. HerniÊ (#). [L.] (Med.) A
protrusion, consisting of an organ or part which has escaped from its
natural cavity, and projects through some natural or accidental opening
in the walls of the latter; as, hernia of the brain, of the lung, or of
the bowels. Hernia of the abdominal viscera in most common. Called also
rupture.
Strangulated hernia, a hernia so tightly compressed in some part of the
channel through which it has been protruded as to arrest its
circulation, and produce swelling of the protruded part. It may occur
in recent or chronic hernia, but is more common in the latter.
Her"ni*al (?), a. Of, or connected with, hernia.
Her`ni*ot"o*my (?), n. [Hernia + Gr. &?; to cut.] (Med.) A cutting for
the cure or relief of hernia; celotomy.
Hern"shaw (?), n. Heronshaw. [Obs.] Spenser.
He"ro (?), n.; pl. Heroes (#). [F. hÈros, L. heros, Gr. &?;.] 1.
(Myth.) An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a
place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules.
2. A man of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude
in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action
or event; hence, a great or illustrious person.
Each man is a hero and oracle to somebody.
Emerson.
3. The principal personage in a poem, story, and the like, or the
person who has the principal share in the transactions related; as
Achilles in the Iliad, Ulysses in the Odyssey, and ∆neas in the ∆neid.
The shining quality of an epic hero.
Dryden.
Hero worship, extravagant admiration for great men, likened to the
ancient worship of heroes.
Hero worship exists, has existed, and will forever exist,
universally among mankind.
Carlyle.
He*ro"di*an (?), n. (Jewish Hist.) One of a party among the Jews,
composed of partisans of Herod of Galilee. They joined with the
Pharisees against Christ.
||He*ro`di*o"nes (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a heron.] (Zoˆl.) A
||division of wading birds, including the herons, storks, and allied
||forms. Called also Herodii. -- He*ro`di*o"nine (#), a.
He"ro*ess (?), n. A heroine. [Obs.] Dryden.
He*ro"ic (?), a. [F. hÈroÔque, L. heroÔcus, Gr. &?;.] 1. Of or
pertaining to, or like, a hero; of the nature of heroes; distinguished
by the existence of heroes; as, the heroic age; an heroic people;
heroic valor.
2. Worthy of a hero; bold; daring; brave; illustrious; as, heroic
action; heroic enterprises.
3. (Sculpture & Painting) Larger than life size, but smaller than
colossal; -- said of the representation of a human figure.
Heroic Age, the age when the heroes, or those called the children of
the gods, are supposed to have lived. -- Heroic poetry, that which
celebrates the deeds of a hero; epic poetry. -- Heroic treatment or
remedies (Med.), treatment or remedies of a severe character, suited to
a desperate case. -- Heroic verse (Pros.), the verse of heroic or epic
poetry, being in English, German, and Italian the iambic of ten
syllables; in French the iambic of twelve syllables; and in classic
poetry the hexameter.
Syn. -- Brave; intrepid; courageous; daring; valiant; bold; gallant;
fearless; enterprising; noble; magnanimous; illustrious.
He*ro"ic*al (?), a. Heroic. [R.] Spectator. -- He*ro"ic*al*ly, adv. --
He*ro"ic*al*ness, n.
<! p. 689 !>
He*ro"ic*ness (?), n. Heroism. [R.] W. Montagu.
{ He`ro*i*com"ic (?), He`ro*i*com"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. hÈroÔcomigue.
See Heroic, and Comic.] Combining the heroic and the ludicrous;
denoting high burlesque; as, a heroicomic poem.
Her"o*ine (?), n. [F. hÈroÔne, L. heroina, Gr. &?;, fem. of &?;. See
Hero.] 1. A woman of an heroic spirit.
The heroine assumed the woman's place.
Dryden.
2. The principal female person who figures in a remarkable action, or
as the subject of a poem or story.
Her"o*ism (?; 277), n. [F. hÈroÔsme.] The qualities characteristic of a
hero, as courage, bravery, fortitude, unselfishness, etc.; the display
of such qualities.
Heroism is the self-devotion of genius manifesting itself in
action.
Hare.
Syn. -- Heroism, Courage, Fortitude, Bravery, Valor, Intrepidity,
Gallantry. Courage is generic, denoting fearlessness or defiance of
danger; fortitude is passive courage, the habit of bearing up nobly
under trials, danger, and sufferings; bravery is courage displayed in
daring acts; valor is courage in battle or other conflicts with living
opponents; intrepidity is firm courage, which shrinks not amid the most
appalling dangers; gallantry is adventurous courage, dashing into the
thickest of the fight. Heroism may call into exercise all these
modifications of courage. It is a contempt of danger, not from
ignorance or inconsiderate levity, but from a noble devotion to some
great cause, and a just confidence of being able to meet danger in the
spirit of such a cause. Cf. Courage.
Her"on (?), n. [OE. heiroun, heroun, heron, hern, OF. hairon, F. hÈron,
OHG. heigir; cf. Icel. hegri, Dan. heire, Sw. h‰ger, and also G. h‰her
jay, jackdaw, OHG. hehara, higere, woodpecker, magpie, D. reiger heron,
G. reiher, AS. hrgra. Cf. Aigret, Egret.] (Zoˆl.) Any wading bird of
the genus Ardea and allied genera, of the family ArdeidÊ. The herons
have a long, sharp bill, and long legs and toes, with the claw of the
middle toe toothed. The common European heron (Ardea cinerea) is
remarkable for its directly ascending flight, and was formerly hunted
with the larger falcons.
There are several common American species; as, the great blue heron
(Ardea herodias); the little blue (A. cúrulea); the green (A.
virescens); the snowy (A. candidissima); the night heron or qua-bird
(Nycticorax nycticorax). The plumed herons are called egrets.
Heron's bill (Bot.), a plant of the genus Erodium; -- so called from
the fancied resemblance of the fruit to the head and beak of the heron.
Her"on*er (?), n. A hawk used in hunting the heron. "Heroner and
falcon." Chaucer.
Her"on*ry (?), n. A place where herons breed.
Her"on*sew (?), n. A heronshaw. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Her"on*shaw (?), n. [OF. heroncel, dim. of hÈron. See Heron.] (Zoˆl.) A
heron. [Written variously hernshaw, harnsey, etc.]
He`ro*ˆl"o*gist (?), n. [Gr. &?; + &?; discourse.] One who treats of
heroes. [R.] T. Warton.
He"ro*ship (?), n. The character or personality of a hero. "Three years
of heroship." Cowper.
Her"pes (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. "e`rphs, fr. "e`rpein to creep.] (Med.) An
eruption of the skin, taking various names, according to its form, or
the part affected; especially, an eruption of vesicles in small
distinct clusters, accompanied with itching or tingling, including
shingles, ringworm, and the like; -- so called from its tendency to
creep or spread from one part of the skin to another.
Her*pet"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. herpÈtique.] Pertaining to, or resembling,
the herpes; partaking of the nature of herpes; as, herpetic eruptions.
Her"pe*tism (?), n. [See Herpes.] (Med.) See Dartrous diathesis, under
Dartrous.
{ Her*pet`o*log"ic (?), Her*pet`o*log"ic*al (?), } a. Pertaining to
herpetology.
Her`pe*tol"o*gist (?), n. One versed in herpetology, or the natural
history of reptiles.
Her`pe*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Written also, but less properly, erpetology.]
[Gr. &?; a creeping thing, reptile (fr. &?; to creep) + -logy: cf. F.
herpÈtologie.] The natural history of reptiles; that branch of zoˆlogy
which relates to reptiles, including their structure, classification,
and habits.
Her`pe*tot"o*mist (?), n. One who dissects, or studies the anatomy of,
reptiles.
Her`pe*tot"o*my (?), n. [Gr. &?; a reptile + &?; to cut.] The anatomy
or dissection of reptiles.
||Herr (?), n. A title of respect given to gentlemen in Germany,
||equivalent to the English Mister.
Her"ring (?), n. [OE. hering, AS. hÊring; akin to D. haring, G. h‰ring,
hering, OHG. haring, hering, and prob. to AS. here army, and so called
because they commonly move in large numbers. Cf. Harry.] (Zoˆl.) One of
various species of fishes of the genus Clupea, and allied genera, esp.
the common round or English herring (C. harengus) of the North
Atlantic. Herrings move in vast schools, coming in spring to the shores
of Europe and America, where they are salted and smoked in great
quantities.
Herring gull (Zoˆl.), a large gull which feeds in part upon herrings;
esp., Larus argentatus in America, and L. cachinnans in England. See
Gull. -- Herring hog (Zoˆl.), the common porpoise. -- King of the
herrings. (Zoˆl.) (a) The chimÊra (C. monstrosa) which follows the
schools of herring. See ChimÊra. (b) The opah.
Her"ring*bone` (hr"rng*bn`), a. Pertaining to, or like, the spine of a
herring; especially, characterized by an arrangement of work in rows of
parallel lines, which in the alternate rows slope in different
directions.
Herringbone stitch, a kind of cross-stitch in needlework, chiefly used
in flannel. Simmonds.
Herrn"hut*er (hrn"h*r; G. hrn"h*r), n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of the
Moravians; -- so called from the settlement of Herrnhut (the Lord's
watch) made, about 1722, by the Moravians at the invitation of Nicholas
Lewis, count of Zinzendorf, upon his estate in the circle of Bautzen.
Hers (hrz), pron. See the Note under Her, pron.
Her"sal (?), n. Rehearsal. [Obs.] Spenser.
Her"schel (?), n. (Astron.) See Uranus.
Her*sche"li*an (?), a. Of or relating to Sir William Herschel; as, the
Herschelian telescope.
Herse (hrs), n. [F. herse harrow, portcullis, OF. herce, LL. hercia, L.
hirpex, gen. hirpicis, and irpex, gen. irpicis, harrow. The LL. hercia
signifies also a kind of candlestick in the form of a harrow, having
branches filled with lights, and placed at the head of graves or
cenotaphs; whence herse came to be used for the grave, coffin, or chest
containing the dead. Cf. Hearse.] 1. (Fort.) A kind of gate or
portcullis, having iron bars, like a harrow, studded with iron spikes.
It is hung above gateways so that it may be quickly lowered, to impede
the advance of an enemy. Farrow.