Valour and Value Come From the Same Latin Verb
Valour is courage in the face of danger. It shares a root with value, valid and convalesce.
Valour is courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. Latin *valere* meant to be strong or be worth, and it produced two lines in English: strength gave *valour* and *valiant*, while worth gave *value*, *valid* and *evaluate*. *Convalesce* is the same verb again, meaning to grow strong together with recovery. *Discretion is the better part of valour* is Falstaff's line in *Henry IV Part 1*, spoken to justify playing dead.
- Courage. *An act of valour.*
- Valiant — brave. *A valiant effort.*
- Value — worth. *Value.*
- Valid — having force. *Valid.*
- Latin — *valere*, to be strong. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (UK) | valour | Valour. |
| Noun (US) | valor | Valor. |
| Adjective | valiant | Valiant. |
| Adjective | valorous | Valorous. |
| Latin | valere | To be strong. |
- He was decorated for valour.Military.
- Discretion is the better part of valour.Shakespeare.
- Valere meant to be strong.Etymology.
The valere family
- Valour — strength of spirit
- Value — what something is worth
- Valid — having force or soundness
- Convalesce — to grow strong again
- Prevail — to be stronger, to win through
Old French *valour*, from Late Latin *valorem*, worth or value, from Latin *valere*, to be strong or be worth.
Are valour and value related?
Yes. Latin valere meant both to be strong and to be worth, and English took one sense into valour and the other into value.
Who said discretion is the better part of valour?
Falstaff, in Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1, using it to justify having played dead on the battlefield.