Hercules

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Greek & Roman Mythology The son of Zeus and Alcmene, a hero of extraordinary strength who won immortality by performing 12 labors demanded by the Argive king Eurystheus.
2. n. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Lyra and Corona Borealis.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In Greek and Roman mythology, a mighty hero, originating in Greek legend, but adopted by the Romans, and worshiped as the god of physical strength, Courage, and related qualities. According to the mythical account, his father, Zeus (Jupiter), destined him to the sovereignty of Tiryns by right of his mother, Alcmene, granddaughter of Perseus, but was thwarted by Hera (Juno). After Hercules had performed wonderful deeds in behalf of Thebes, his birthplace, Hera consented to his being made immortal on condition of his accomplishing certain superhuman feats for his rival Eurystheus of Tiryns, in which he succeeded. These feats, called the twelve labors of Hercules, were as follows: the strangling of the Nemean lion; the killing of the Lernean hydra; the capture of the Ceryneian stag; the capture of the Erymanthian boar; the cleaning of the Augean stables; the slaughter of the Stymphalian birds; the capture of the Cretan bull; the capture of the man-eating mares of Diomedes; the securing of the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons; (10) the fetching of the red oxen of Geryones; (11) the procuring of the golden apples of the Hesperides; (12) the bringing to the upper world of the dog Cerberus, guardian of Hades. The subject of this most famous of the Herculean legends (of comparatively late date) is distinguished as the Tirynthian Hercules from other personifications of Hercules worshiped in different places and countries (as the Cretan or the Egyptian Hercules, etc.), under the same or other names, the attributes of these various personifications being essentially the same, but their legendary history being different. Hercules is represented as brawny and muscular, with broad shoulders, generally naked, or draped merely in the skin of the Nemean lion, the head of the lion being often drawn over that of the hero as a helmet. He is usually armed with a club, sometimes with a bow and arrows.
2. n. One of the ancient constellations, between Lyra and Corona Borealis, representing a man upon one knee, with his head toward the south, and with uplifted arms. The ancients did not identify the constellation with Hercules; the moderns place a club in one hand, and a branch of an apple-tree, with the three heads of Cerberus, in the other. The constellation contains one star of the second magnitude (β), nine of the third, and twelve of the fourth.
3. n. A form of drop-hammer. See the extract.
4. n. Same as Hercules-beetle.

Wiktionary

1. n. Greek mythology Son of Jupiter and Alcmene, a celebrated hero who possessed exceptional strength. Most famous for his 12 labors performed to redeem himself after killing his family.
2. n. astronomy A summer constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble the mythical hero. It lies between the constellations Lyra and Corona Borealis.
3. n. astronomy A crater in the first quadrant on the moon.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Gr. Myth.) A hero, fabled to have been the son of Jupiter and Alcmena, and celebrated for great strength, esp. for the accomplishment of his twelve great tasks or “labors.”
2. n. (Astron.) A constellation in the northern hemisphere, near Lyra.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. (classical mythology) a hero noted for his strength; performed 12 immense labors to gain immortality
2. n. a large constellation in the northern hemisphere between Lyra and Corona Borealis