courage (English)
Where does "courage" come from?
The word "courage" originates from the Latin word "cor," meaning "heart," which traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root for the same concept. It traveled through Vulgar Latin into Old French as "corage" before being adopted into Middle English, where it eventually replaced the native Old English term "ellen." This shift reflects the transition from viewing bravery as a physical force of zeal to seeing it as a strength of the heart.
Full etymology tree
- courage (English), 'The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate.'
- inherited courage (Middle English)
- borrowed courage (Old French)
- inherited *corāticum (Latin), 'heart, guts'
- derived cor (Latin), 'heart'
- inherited *kord (Proto-Italic), 'heart'
- inherited *ḱḗr (Proto-Indo-European), 'heart'
- inherited *kord (Proto-Italic), 'heart'
- derived cor (Latin), 'heart'
- inherited *corāticum (Latin), 'heart, guts'
- borrowed courage (Old French)
- inherited courage (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
- ḱerd- (Proto-Indo-European)
- corage (Middle English)
- corage (Old French)
- cor (Latin)
- elne (Middle English)
- ellen (Old English)
- courage (French)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris