Emprise refers to a chivalrous or adventurous undertaking or the daring skill shown in it.
Emprise refers to a chivalrous or adventurous undertaking or the daring skill shown in it.
| Front | emprise \em-PRYZE\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun 1. A chivalrous or adventurous enterprise. 2. Chivalrous daring or skill. [Someone who engages in emprises undertakes much, so it's no surprise that "emprise" descends from the Anglo-French word "emprendre," meaning "to undertake." It's also no surprise that "emprise" became established in English during the 13th century, a time when brave knights engaged in many a chivalrous undertaking. Fourteenth-century author Geoffrey Chaucer used "emprise" to describe one such knight in "The Franklin's Tale" (one of the stories in The Canterbury Tales): "Ther was a knyght that loved and dide his payne / To serve a lady in his beste wise; / And many labour, many a greet emprise, / He for his lady wroghte er she were wonne."] "Thus did the politic chief touch all the secret springs of devotion, honour, and ambition in the bosoms of his martial audience, waking the mettle of the most sluggish before leading him on the perilous emprise." William H. Prescott, History Of The Conquest Of Mexico, 1843. |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Birmingham brummagem word culture brum-ih-jum adjective genuine spurious
Previous card: Noun 16th century survive vicissitudes latin vi-sis-i-tood tyood
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary