heroine
n. countablen. a woman who is admired for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. You use this word to describe a female hero.
n. a woman regarded for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The feminine counterpart of 'hero'.
She is a heroine in our local community.
The nurse was hailed as a heroine for saving three patients during the fire.
Historians now recognize her as a heroine of the resistance, whose quiet bravery inspired a generation of activists.
From Latin hērōīna, from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine (suffix forming feminine nouns). * English from 1587. The sense of "female lead character" is from 1715.
Partly from the noun and partly from hero + -ine (suffix forming adjectives).