Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hercules \Her"cu*les\, n.
   1. (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. (Astron.) A constellation in the northern hemisphere, near
      Lyra.

   {Hercules' beetle} (Zo["o]l.), any species of {Dynastes}, an
      American genus of very large lamellicorn beetles, esp. {D.
      hercules} of South America, which grows to a length of six
      inches.

   {Hercules' club}. (Bot.)
      (a) An ornamental tree of the West Indies ({Zanthoxylum
          Clava-Herculis}), of the same genus with the prickly
          ash.
      (b) A variety of the common gourd ({Lagenaria vulgaris}).
          Its fruit sometimes exceeds five feet in length.
      (c) The Angelica tree. See under {Angelica}.

   {Hercules powder}, an explosive containing nitroglycerin; --
      used for blasting.