Word | fortitude |
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Date | November 21, 2019 |
Type | noun |
Syllables | FOR-tuh-tood |
Etymology | Fortitude comes from the Latin word fortis, meaning "strong," and in English it has always been used primarily to describe strength of mind. For a time, the word was also used to mean "physical strength"; William Shakespeare used that sense in Henry VI, Part 1: "Coward of France! How much he wrongs his fame / Despairing of his own arm's fortitude." But despite use by the Bard, that second sense languished and is now considered obsolete. |
Examples | "She showed fortitude in 2013, when the restaurant, known for its cheery pink exterior, had a major fire. The taqueria soon reopened with a new, brick exterior and the same great food, and Perez said business is better than ever." — Cassidy McDonald, The Wisconsin State Journal, 22 Sept. 2015 "… Captain Ahab stood erect, looking straight out beyond the ship's ever-pitching prow. There was an infinity of firmest fortitude, a determinate unsurrenderable wilfulness, in the fixed and fearless, forward dedication of that glance." — Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851 |
Definition | : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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