heron

[ her-uh n ]

/ ˈhɛr ən /

noun

any of numerous long-legged, long-necked, usually long-billed birds of the family Ardeidae, including the true herons, egrets, night herons, and bitterns.

Nearby words

heroin chic, heroine, heroinism, heroism, heroize, heron, heron's-bill, heronry, herophilus, herp derp, herp.

Origin of heron

1275–1325; Middle English heiro(u)n, hero(u)n < Middle French hairon (French héron) < Germanic; compare Old High German heigir

Definition for heron (2 of 2)

Heron

[ heer-on ]

/ ˈhɪər ɒn /

noun

Hero(def 2).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heron

The Night Heron was the first adventure Wanderlust opened up to an audience larger than a pre-set guest list.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners|Nina Strochlic|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“All those people who went to the Night Heron, now they look up and think about rooftops differently,” says Benedetto.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners|Nina Strochlic|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Night Heron is the event most have heard of, but there are a handful more that have passed under the radar.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners|Nina Strochlic|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An earlier version of the bird was called the Heron, the latest version is known as the Eitan.
Israel's Secret Iran Attack Plan: Electronic Warfare|Eli Lake|November 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Later in the spring, she and Elisabeth saw another kind of heron, an American bittern, skulking in some grass by a swamp.
One Year to Live|Olivia Gentile|April 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Only from far away came the murmur of the sluggish waters of the Maros, and from its shores the call of a heron to its mate.
A Bride of the Plains|Baroness Emmuska Orczy
"Perhaps they had better go away," murmured Mrs. Heron, gently.
Under False Pretences|Adeline Sergeant
"If only I thought that the recapture of Capet was as vital to you as it is to me," said Heron, still unconvinced.
El Dorado|Baroness Orczy
Nevertheless, Mrs. Heron's selfishness was of a gentle and even loveable type.
Under False Pretences|Adeline Sergeant
The other sort is a species of curlews nearly as big as a heron.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 15 (of 18)|Robert Kerr

British Dictionary definitions for heron (1 of 2)

heron

/ (ˈhɛrən) /

noun

any of various wading birds of the genera Butorides, Ardea, etc, having a long neck, slim body, and a plumage that is commonly grey or white: family Ardeidae, order Ciconiiformes

Word Origin for heron

C14: from Old French hairon, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German heigaro, Old Norse hegri

British Dictionary definitions for heron (2 of 2)

Heron

/ (ˈhɪərɒn) /

noun

same as Hero

Patrick. 1920–99, British abstract painter and art critic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for heron

heron

c.1300, from Old French hairon (12c.), earlier hairo (11c., Modern French héron), from Frankish *haigiro or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *hraigran- (cf. Old High German heigaro "heron," German Reiher, Dutch reiger, Old Norse hegri), from PIE *qriq-, perhaps imitative of its cry (cf. Old Church Slavonic kriku "cry, scream," Lithuanian kryksti "to shriek"). Old English cognate hraga did not survive into Middle English.