same as Hero
Patrick. 1920–99, British abstract painter and art critic
1275–1325; Middle English heiro ( u ) n, hero ( u ) n < Middle French hairon ( French héron ) < Germanic; compare Old High German heigir
Herons are birds that use their long legs to wade in marshes, ponds, and along the coastline. There are herons living on every single continent except Antarctica. There are dozens of heron species, ranging from medium-sized to the impressive goliath heron, which stands five feet tall. All of these shorebirds have long legs, long necks, and a wide wingspan. When a heron stands upright, it holds its neck in a distinctive S-shape, but when it flies, it tucks its head tightly up against its body. Heron is from the Old French hairon, which may derive from an imitative root mimicking the cry of a heron.
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One morning, I spend 20 minutes watching a 4-foot-tall great blue heron as it stalks fish along a pond’s edge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The black-crowned night heron is widespread across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe but has now been spotted at National Trust's Holnicote Estate, near Minehead.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Look at the length of the skull, the length of the neck, and the length of the hind limb -- you're in heron territory."
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Just then a great blue heron flew overhead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
He helped himself to heron and herring, though, and a few of the sweet onions.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Operating from Heron House in Manchester's city centre, No 10 North will be the government's new situation room for growth, it was announced.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
This time, she’s named Faye Heron, an Emmy-winning Hollywood multi-hyph who found cachet while working on one of those edgy premium dramedies that probably aired on HBO.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The company said this was driven by total value and volume growth in both B&M businesses, which was partially offset by a 0.3% revenue decline at Heron Foods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
"Around half of reef locations affected by bleaching-level heat stress were exposed twice or more during the three-year event -- often with devastating consequences," said Scott Heron, professor of physics at James Cook University.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2026
Lifeguards at Heron Hills, where the young men were working this summer, said of Mr. Halloway, “he was too nice sometimes” and “too good to be true.”
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
"The cervical vertebrae of Kank show special structures for muscle attachment and the protection of neck blood vessels, features particularly important in modern birds with complex neck movements, such as herons," says Dr. Motta.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
In Vietnam, herons cast twigs in ponds like fly-fishermen to lure prey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
More than a hundred bird species, including ducks, geese, terns, ibis, herons, eagles and vultures, had been recorded in the area, alongside monkeys and small mammals.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
They’re ceramic depictions of Pacific tree frogs and great herons, both denizens of the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
“She likes the pond. The apartment pond. The geese and herons and…” I feel Jonesy beside me.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
