Hector

[Dr. Goodword]

• hector •

Pronunciation: hek-têr • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, Verb

Meaning: 1. [Noun] An intimidating braggart, a swaggering fellow, or bully. 2. [Verb] To bother, pester, annoy. 3. [Verb] To bluster, brag, boast, toot one's own horn obnoxiously.

Notes: Hector and to hector are classical eponyms (see Word History). When encountered as proper noun, a male name, we are compelled to show it the respect of capitalization: Hector. When we use it as a common noun, we need not show it that much respect. It comes with an adjective, hectorly, an action noun, hectorism, as well as a personal noun, hectorer.

In Play: Today's Good Word normally implies repeatedly bullying: "Harley Davidson just won't stop hectoring me about his new motorcycle." However we use it, we must keep in mind that hectoring is generally looked upon as socially unacceptable: "Norman Conquest has been relieved of his duties for hectoring the boss over his worth to the company."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Hektor, the name of the son of Priam and Hecuba, husband of Andromache. He was a hero at the Battle of Troy. The original sense of the common noun was "as valiant a warrior as Hector". As the meaning changed, the spelling hasn't, so the spelling of this word remains identical with that of Latin, which simply transliterated the Greek. The name comes from a Greek adjective hector "holding fast" from the verb hexein "to hold, have". Hectic was somehow derived from the same verb. (Let's give his due Rob Towart for suggesting today's Good Word with its royally ancient history.)

[David Myer]

This one is a surprise. In my day in England (I don't think it is ever used here in Australia), it meant to niggle, especially verbally, to nag. Bullying is far too strong a word for what we meant when we used it. And I have never heard it used for blowing one's own trumpet or boasting. And I have never heard it used as a noun. Boastful? Braggart?

Is this peculiarly American usage I wonder?

[call_copse]

Agreed on the first point, David, more of an annoyance than a full blown bullying.

I think I've heard it used more in the boastful sense as a noun, though.

[Dr. Goodword]

That is the way I have always used, heard, and read it, too; however, I could not find this meaning in any of the major dictionaries. So, I omitted it. I have now added that to the archived version and to this version. Thanks, guys.

[LukeJavan8]

I've never heard of 'hector' as to 'nag', but have seen and heard
of the word 'heckle' in a similar way, to bother, to nag.

[David Myer]

Interesting. Heckle. In Australia and I think UK, heckle is more commonly used for mildly abusive (but often amusing) comments from the crowd in the stands at a sporting event. Sometimes, particularly in cricket, it is done by players to intimidate or get under the skin of the opposition. In Australia it is called sledging.

But this is a really interesting area - so many words each with its own nuance of severity and style. I have tried to put them in my order of seriousness!

Chide
Reproach
Rebuke
Chastise
Admonish
Upbraid
Scold
Reprimand

And then the irritating ones:
Bother
Badger
Chivvy
Nag
Niggle
Harass
Pester
Annoy
Torment
Persecute

and lots more of course.

[bnjtokyo]

I went to the ngram viewer to see if I could find some illuminating examples of "hector" in use. Lots of nouns with a capital "H" that were generally a male first name. An attempt to use "hector_verb" to isolate verbal forms failed to return any examples, which suggests a limitation of the tool. As you can see below, I did find some examples using by using a verbally inflected form of "hector." "hectoring" returned the following examples
"Section 101 of the Family Law Act should be amended to ensure that oppressive, repetitive, hectoring or abusive questions . . . ."
"The judge should b able to disallow misleading, oppressive, repetitive, hectoring or abusive questions, or to instruct the witness that the question need not be answered."
Australian Law Council, Child Sexual Abuse:Report, September 1988

"Mr. Cooper -- The Minister turns around in his usual blustering way, his usual hectoring way and is joined now by his hectoring friend, the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs and all they do is shout."
Victoria Parliamentary Débates (Hansard). Legislative Assembly 1989

"For such purposes, however, harassment must be seen as a synonym for taunting, hectoring or pestering. We can all imagine situations in which verbal expressions of this kind could reach the point of unacceptability."
University of New Brunswick Law Journal, 1994

"[He said] 'You're wasting my time. You know that, don't you?'
"'I'm sorry,' she said scornfully.
"This angered him still more. 'Do you understand why this court will be sitting?' he asked. Against her continued silence, his voice became hectoring.
"'I see that you don't. Let me enlighten you. It will be sitting for one reason, and for one only — to ascertain whether or not you killed Richard Purdy.'"
Jessica Anderson, "An Ordinary Lunacy" Penguin Books 1987 [apparently a novel]

It is interesting that these examples all invoke a legal context. The ngram view did return some no-legal contexts but they did not allow the denotation and connotation of "hectoring" to br easy infered from context.

[LukeJavan8]

most interesting and informative research. Thanks.

[damoge]

Thanks to all!

This is why English is such a fascinating and fun language for native speakers and often a horrifying and exhausting trial for those trying to learn it!

again, thank you !
Glorious!

[David Myer]

Well done bnjtokyo. And nicely disproving my ridiculous statement that the word is not used in Australia! Indeed, and by coincidence, a line in today's paper included the word: .. his recipe of nostalgia, bullying and reactionary politics, all delivered in a ranting, hectoring style .. No, not referring to your president but to a retiring right-wing radio 'shock jock'.

Enough. I must away and do my lines:

No more sweeping statements that are easily disproved.
No more sweeping statements that are easily disproved.
No more sweeping statements that are easily disproved.
No more sweeping statements that are easily disproved.
No more sweeping statements...

[gwray]

I have been intrigued by the etymology of this word. From lexico.com: Late Middle English from the Trojan warrior Hector. Originally denoting a hero, the sense later became ‘braggart or bully’ (applied in the late 17th century to a member of a gang of London youths), hence ‘talk to in a bullying way’.

[Philip Hudson]

Here in the hinterlands we have a specific use for the word, and, as far as I know, no other. It goes like this: "Waull, I'll swan, I hain't seed yew sincet Heck wuz a pup." If I don't keep my redneck talk in shape the neighbors might think I am a puttin on city ways.

[tkowal]

Thanks to all!

This is why English is such a fascinating and fun language for native speakers and often a horrifying and exhausting trial for those trying to learn it!

again, thank you !
Glorious!

Hi damoge,

It is a fact that mastering English as a foreign language isn't easy, but I am sure that is true of any language. As a matter of fact English has an important advantage over other Indo-European languages: very simple grammar. Practically no genders, no noun or adjective cases, verb forms reduced to a minimum. All that makes basic English quite simple to learn. It is true that the spelling system is more complicated than most. I prefer nation to nayshn, but through or woman and women is another story. On the other hand English is an admirable language with its huge vocabulary. It has no problems in borrowing words from other languages, often with their original spellings and even plurals like Latin formulae, Greek automata, Italian fungi and even Hebrew cherubim.

[Philip Hudson]

And then there are the cartoon birds named Heckle and Jeckle.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIpTVU3Ddlo.