Lewis & Short

Hercŭles, is and i (the latter in Cic. Ac. 2, 34, 108 Goer.; cf. Plin. ap. Charis. p. 107 P.:

  1. I. Herculei, Cat. 55, 13), m., = Ἡρακλῆς, Etrusc. HERCLE (whence, by the insertion of a connecting vowel, the Latin form arose; cf. Alcumena for Ἀλκμήνη; v. also under B. the voc. hercle), son of Jupiter and Alcmena, husband of Dejanira, and, after his deification, of Hebe, the god of strength, and the guardian of riches, to whom, therefore, tithes were offered; he was also the guide of the Muses (Musagetes); the poplar was sacred to him, Cic. N. D. 3, 16, 42; Varr. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 8, 564; Varr. L. L. 6, § 54 Müll.; Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 80; 2, 2, 62; Ov. M. 8, 364; 9, 13 sq.; Hor. C. 3, 14, 1; 4, 5, 36; Suet. Aug. 29; cf. with Ov. F. 6, 797 sq.: neque Herculi quisquam decumam vovit umquam, si sapiens factus esset, Cic. N. D. 3, 36, 88: superavit aerumnis suis aerumnas Herculis, Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 2: Herculis Columnae, the Pillars of Hercules, i. e. the promontories between which is the Strait of Gibraltar, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 167; Curt. 10, 1, 8 et saep.
    In gen. plur.: et Herculum et Mercuriorum disciplinae, Tert. Spect. 11 fin.
    Prov.: Herculi quaestum conterere, i. e. to squander everything (even the tithes of Hercules), Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 68: personam Herculis et cothurnos aptare infantibus, Quint. 6, 1, 36.
    1. B. Transf., analog. with the Greek Ἡράκλεις and Ἧρακλες, in voc. hercŭles, and more freq. hercŭle or hercle; also with a prefixed me: mĕ-hercŭles, mehercŭle (also separately: me hercule), and mĕhercle, as an oath or asseveration, by Hercules!
          1. (α) Hercules and mehercules: et, hercules, hae quidem exstant, Cic. Brut. 16, 61; cf. Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 1; Poll. ib. 10, 33, 7: licet, hercules, undique omnes in me terrores impendeant, Cic. Rosc. Am. 11, 31; Vell. 2, 52, 2: neque, mehercules, hoc indigne fero, Cic. Rosc. Am. 48, 141: cui, mehercules, hic multum tribuit, id. Fam. 6, 5, 3; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 18, 3: at, mehercules, narrabit quod quis voluerit, Phaedr. 3, 17, 8.
          2. (β) Hercule and mehercule, by Hercules! (in class. prose most freq.; cf. also: impetratum est a consuetudine, ut peccare suavitatis causa liceret: et pomeridianas quadrigas quam postmeridianas libentius dixerim, et mehercule quam mehercules, Cic. Or. 47, 157): et hercule ita fecit, id. Lael. 11, 37: et hercule, id. Fam. 2, 18, 2; Quint. 2, 5, 4; 2, 16, 12; 10, 2, 3; 12, 6, 4 al.: ac me quidem, ut hercule etiam te ipsum, Laeli, cognitio ipsa rerum delectat, Cic. Rep. 1, 13: non hercule, Scipio, dubito quin, etc., id. ib. 1, 23; id. Quint. 3, 13; id. Att. 2, 7, 3: sed hercule facile patior datum tempus, in quo, etc., id. ib. 16, 16, C, 10; Quint. 1, 4, 7; 12, 1, 7: atqui nactus es, sed me hercule otiosiorem opera quam animo, Cic. Rep. 1, 9: dicam me hercule, id. ib. 1, 19: non me hercule, inquit, id. ib. 1, 38: non mehercule, Quint. 6, 1, 43; 6, 3, 74: cognoscere me hercule, inquit, etc., Cic. Rep. 1, 48 Mai. N. cr.: ita mehercule attendi, nec satis intellexi, etc., id. Leg. 3, 14, 33 Mos. N. cr.; id. Verr. 2, 3, 62, § 144: vere mehercule hoc dicam, id. Planc. 26, 64: et mehercule ego antea mirari solebam, etc., id. Verr. 2, 4, 14, § 33; id. Att. 5, 16, 3: mihi mehercule magnae curae est aedilitas tua, id. Fam. 2, 11, 2: servi mehercule mei, si me isto pacto metuerent, etc., id. Cat. 1, 7, 17.
          3. (γ) Hercle and mehercle (the former esp. freq. in Plaut. and Ter.; the latter very rare): malo hercle magno suo convivat, Enn. ap. Non. 474, 22 (Sat. v. 1 Vahl.): obsecro hercle, quantus et quam validus est, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 143; id. ib. 173: tanto hercle melior, id. Bacch. 2, 2, 33: mihi quidem hercle non fit verisimile, Ter. And. 1, 3, 20: nescio hercle, id. Eun. 2, 3, 13; id. Phorm. 1, 2, 87: perii hercle, id. Eun. 5, 2, 66; 5, 6, 14; id. Heaut. 4, 4, 14: non hercle, id. Phorm. 5, 7, 76: per hercle rem mirandam (i. e. permirandam) Aristoteles dicit, Gell. 3, 6, 1.
            With intensive particles: heu hercle, Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 41: scite hercle sane, id. Trin. 3, 3, 53; cf.: sane quidem hercle, Cic. Leg. 2, 4, 8: minime, minime hercle vero! Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 23; cf.: minime hercle, Cic. Lael. 9, 30: haudquaquam hercle, Crasse, mirandum est, etc., id. de Or. 3, 22, 82: pulchre mehercle dictum et sapienter, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 26; 1, 1, 22.
  2. II. Derivv.
    1. A. Hercŭlĕus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Hercules, Herculean: domiti Herculea manu Telluris juvenes, Hor. C. 2, 12, 6: labor, id. ib. 1, 3, 36: coronae arbos, i. e. the poplar, Verg. G. 2, 66; cf.: umbra populi, id. A. 8, 276: leo, the lion’s skin worn by Hercules, Val. Fl. 1, 263: Oete, on which Hercules burned himself, Luc. 3, 178: hospes, i. e. Croto, by whom Hercules was hospitably entertained, Ov. M. 15, 8: ternox, in which Hercules was begotten, Stat. Th. 12, 301: hostis, i. e. Telephus, son of Hercules, Ov. R. Am. 47: gens, i. e. the family of the Fabians sprung from Hercules, id. F. 2, 237; so, penates, Sil. 7, 44: sacrum, instituted by Evander in honor of Hercules, Verg. A. 8, 270: Trachin, built by Hercules, Ov. M. 11, 627: urbs, the city of Herculaneum, built by Hercules, id. ib. 15, 711.
      Hence also: litora, near Herculaneum, Prop. 1, 11, 2: Tibur, i. e. where Hercules was worshipped, Mart. 1, 13, 1; 4, 62: astrum, i. e. the constellation of the Lion, id. 8, 55, 15: fretum, i. e. the Pillars of Hercules, (Strait of Gibraltar), Sil. 1, 199; also: metae, Luc. 3, 278.
    2. B. Hercŭlā-nĕus, a, um, adj., the same: pars, i. e. the tithes (dedicated to Hercules), the tenth part, Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 11.
      Also to denote things large of their kind: formicae, Plin. 30. 4, 10, § 29: urtica, id. 21, 15, 55, § 92: nodus, Sen. Ep. 87, 33: nymphaea, App. Herb. 67: sideritis, id. ib. 72: machaera, Capitol. Pertin. 8.
    3. C. Hercŭlānus, a, um, adj., the same: pes, i. e. long, large (cf. in the preced.), Gell. 1, 1, 3.
    4. D. Acc. to the Gr. form Hēraclēus or Hēra-clĭus, a, um, adj., = Ἡράκλειος or Ἡράκλιος, the same: fabulae, Juv. 1, 52 (al. acc. to the MSS. Herculeias).
    5. E. Hēraclī-des, ae, m., = Ἡρακλείδης, a male descendant of Hercules, Heraclid: exclusi ab Heraclīdis Orestis liberi, Vell. 1, 2 fin.
  3. F. Hercŭlĭus, i, m., a surname of the emperor Maximinianus, and hence, Her-cŭlĭāni, ōrum, m., his guards, Amm. 22, 3, 2; 25, 6, 2.