Herculean

adjective

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Her·cu·le·an | \ ˌhər-kyə-ˈlē-ən

, ˌhər-ˈkyü-lē-

Definition of Herculean

1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of Hercules

2 often not capitalized : of extraordinary power, extent, intensity, or difficulty Herculean tasks Herculean proportions

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The hero Hercules, son of the god Zeus by a human mother, was famous for his superhuman strength. To pacify the wrath of the god Apollo, he was forced to perform twelve enormously difficult tasks, or "labors". These ranged from descending into the underworld to bring back the terrifying dog that guarded its entrance to destroying the many-headed monster called the Hydra. Any job or task that's extremely difficult or calls for enormous strength is therefore called herculean.