Courage: A Word Built on the Heart
Courage is the ability to face fear, danger or difficulty. The word comes from the Latin for heart, which is where English still locates it.
Courage is the strength to act despite fear. Its root is *cor*, the heart, and English has never let that go: we say take heart, lose heart, and a person of great heart, all meaning courage without using the word.
- Strength in the face of danger. *It took courage to speak.*
- Moral firmness. *The courage of her convictions.*
- Endurance in difficulty. *He faced the illness with courage.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | courage | Great courage. |
| Adjective | courageous | A courageous decision. |
| Adverb | courageously | She acted courageously. |
| Verb | encourage | Encourage them to try. |
| Verb | discourage | Do not be discouraged. |
How it is used in a sentence
- It took real courage to admit the mistake.Moral rather than physical courage.
- She had the courage of her convictions.Acted on what she believed, at a cost.
- He plucked up the courage to ask.Pluck up is the usual verb for gathering nerve.
The heart words
- Courage — from *cor*, heart
- Encourage — put heart into someone
- Discourage — take the heart out of them
- Cordial — heartfelt, and a drink to strengthen the heart
- Record — to bring back to the heart, which was thought to hold memory
From Old French *corage*, from Latin *cor*. In earlier English the word simply meant what was in your heart — your spirit or disposition — and only narrowed to bravery in the later Middle Ages.
Courage or bravery?
Bravery leans towards physical danger. Courage covers moral courage too, including speaking up when it costs you.
Is Dutch courage real courage?
No. The phrase means confidence from alcohol, and it is not a compliment.