COURAGE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Courage

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/kˈərədʒ/ /kˈərɪdʒ/ Listen

noun

Courage n.

1.

The heart; spirit; temper; disposition. (Obs.) "So priketh hem nature in here corages." "My lord, cheer up your spirits; our foes are nigh, and this soft courage makes your followers faint."

2.

Heart; inclination; desire; will. (Obs.) "I'd such a courage to do him good."

3.

That quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear, or fainting of heart; valor; boldness; resolution. "The king-becoming graces... Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude, I have no relish of them." "Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it."

Synonyms: Heroism; bravery; intrepidity; valor; gallantry; daring; firmness; hardihood; boldness; dauntlessness; resolution. See Heroism. Courage, Bravery, Fortitude, Intrepidity, Gallantry, Valor. Courage is that firmness of spirit and swell of soul which meets danger without fear. Bravery is daring and impetuous courage, like that of one who has the reward continually in view, and displays his courage in daring acts. Fortitude has often been styled "passive courage," and consist in the habit of encountering danger and enduring pain with a steadfast and unbroken spirit. Valor is courage exhibited in war, and can not be applied to single combats; it is never used figuratively. Intrepidity is firm, unshaken courage. Gallantry is adventurous courage, which courts danger with a high and cheerful spirit. A man may show courage, fortitude, or intrepidity in the common pursuits of life, as well as in war. Valor, bravery, and gallantry are displayed in the contest of arms. Valor belongs only to battle; bravery may be shown in single combat; gallantry may be manifested either in attack or defense; but in the latter case, the defense is usually turned into an attack.

verb

Courage v. t. To inspire with courage; to encourage. (Obs.) "Paul writeth unto Timothy... to courage him."

See images of 'Courage'

Etymology of 'Courage'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Courage" Quotes from Famous Books

... the walls of a college, but he had already taken his degree in Industry, Patience, Caution, Courage, Pity and Gentleness. ...

— The Southerner - A Romance of the Real Lincoln • Thomas Dixon

... force. Yet there was the crutch. Randy had seen other men, broad-shouldered, thin-hipped, who had come to worse than crutches. He did not want to think of them. He had escaped without a scratch. He did not believe that he had lacked courage, and there was a decoration to prove that he had not. But when he thought of those other men, he had no sense of his own valor. He had given so little and ...

— The Trumpeter Swan • Temple Bailey

... they rose above the pistol to the face behind it. For fifteen seconds there was a strange terrible silence as the eyes of the two men met. In that quarter of a minute Nathaniel knew that he had not guessed rightly. Strang was not afraid. He would not tell him where Marion was. The insuperable courage of this man maddened Captain Plum and unconsciously his finger fell upon the trigger of his pistol. He almost shrieked the words that ...

— The Courage of Captain Plum • James Oliver Curwood

... of organization make it even more necessary than it was of old for the rulers of an empire to find a larger and ever larger place in the sun. The forces are more pressing than ever before. The times call more loudly for a genius with imagination, foresight and courage who will use the power at his disposal to write into political history the gains that have already been made a part of economic life. Let such a one arise in the United States, in the present chaos of public thought, and he could not only ...

— The American Empire • Scott Nearing

... are sometimes led To sorrow, sin, and woe, {289} Because you have not courage quite, And dare not ...

— Mother Truth's Melodies - Common Sense For Children • Mrs. E. P. Miller

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