To Hector Someone Comes From a Trojan Hero
To hector is to bully with words. The verb comes from Hector of Troy, though his reputation did not deserve it.
To hector is to bully or intimidate with talk. The word comes from Hector, the Trojan prince of the Iliad, who is portrayed as brave and dutiful rather than a bully. Seventeenth-century London gangs took his name for swaggering, and the verb records their behaviour rather than his — an unfair legacy for a sympathetic character.
- To bully verbally. *Stop hectoring me.*
- Hectoring — bullying in tone. *A hectoring manner.*
- Hector — the Trojan hero. *Hector's duel with Achilles.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | hector | Hector the witness. |
| Past | hectored | He hectored them. |
| Adjective | hectoring | A hectoring tone. |
| Related | bully | A schoolyard bully. |
| Related | browbeat | Browbeat into agreeing. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He hectored the panel for an hour.Bullied verbally.
- A hectoring editorial.Adjective.
- Hector was the noblest Trojan.In Homer's telling.
Verbs from characters
- Hector — from the Trojan prince, via London gangs
- Mentor — from Odysseus's friend in the Odyssey
- Pander — from Pandarus in the Troilus story
- Quixotic — from Don Quixote
- Gerrymander — from a governor named Gerry and a salamander-shaped district
From the Greek hero Hector. London street gangs of the 1650s called themselves Hectors, and the verb followed from their conduct.
Was Hector a bully?
Not in Homer. He is the most sympathetic Trojan, and the verb comes from seventeenth-century gangs who adopted his name.
Is mentor a similar case?
Yes, and a kinder one. Mentor was the friend Odysseus entrusted with his son, and the name became the word for a trusted adviser.