adj. & n.
adj. 1 a (of an act or a quality) of or fit for a hero. b (of a person) like a hero. 2 a (of language) grand, high-flown, dramatic. b (of a work of art) heroic in scale or subject. 3 (of poetry) dealing with the ancient heroes.
n. (in pl.) 1 a high-flown language or sentiments. b unduly bold behaviour. 2 = heroic verse. the heroic age the period in Greek history before the return from Troy. heroic couplet two lines of rhyming iambic pentameters. heroic verse a type of verse used for heroic poetry, esp. the hexameter, the iambic pentameter, or the alexandrine. heroically adv.
[ F héroïque or L heroicus f. Gk heroikos (as HERO) ]