# courage

Pronunciation: US say "KUR-ij" /ˈkɝ.ɪd͡ʒ/; UK say "KU-rij" /ˈkʌ.ɹɪdʒ/

## Noun

1. The ability to overcome one's fear and do things that one finds frightening.
   - Simple: The strength to face something scary and do it anyway.
   - _Facing his lifelong fear of heights, he summoned the courage to climb the tower._
   - _It takes courage to walk alone into a room full of strangers._
2. The ability to hold to one's purpose and principles despite fear, hardship, or repeated setbacks; moral fortitude.
   - Simple: The strength to keep going and stick to what is right even when things get hard.
   - _Despite three failed attempts, she had the courage to try once more._
   - _It takes moral courage to admit a mistake in front of your colleagues._
3. The quality of being confident and not easily frightened or intimidated, while remaining careful and considerate.
   - Simple: The quality of being brave and sure of yourself, but still careful and kind to others.
   - _His courage on the witness stand was matched by a careful choice of words._
   - _Leading with courage means staying confident without becoming reckless or dismissive of others._

## Verb

4. To give someone the confidence or will to act; to encourage. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To give someone hope and the will to do something.
   - _A few words from the general could courage the weariest troops before dawn._
   - _Stories of past victories courage soldiers facing a long campaign._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English corage, from Old French corage (modern French courage), from Vulgar Latin *corāticum, ultimately from Latin cor meaning "heart." It is distantly related to "cardiac," which comes through Greek from the same Proto-Indo-European root.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/courage (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).