barbarian hero
- noun
- Literature
:
héroe bárbaro
- The novel follows a barbarian hero as he battles powerful sorcerers and monsters.
Examples
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In the comic book, the barbarian hero wanders a brutal landscape in search of adventure.
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Many stories set in ancient times feature a barbarian hero who fights for justice.
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The barbarian hero fought bravely against the invading army.
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Many tales feature a barbarian hero who overcomes great odds.
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In the comic book, the barbarian hero wanders a brutal landscape in search of adventure.
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The novel follows a barbarian hero as he battles powerful sorcerers and monsters.
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Many stories set in ancient times feature a barbarian hero who fights for justice.
Synonyms
124
5.5
A strong, brave figure from old myths who is often part human and part god
A brave person in old stories who does great deeds
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase's meaning is directly compositional: 'barbarian' (an outsider or perceived primitive person) combined with 'hero' (a brave or noble individual) yields a hero who is a barbarian or rough warrior. This noun+noun combination follows regular English compounding patterns and has clear parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Barbarian hero comes from old stories where city people called loud, strange outsiders barbarians because their speech sounded like 'bar-bar', and storytellers made those outsiders the brave, strong heroes of their tales. So barbarian hero means 'a rough and powerful warrior' who comes from outside the towns.