▪ I. courage, n.
(ˈkʌrɪdʒ)
Forms: 4–7 corage, curage, (4–6 corrage, 5 curag, coreage, 6 currage, courra(d)ge, 7 corege), 5– courage.
[ME. corage, a. OF. corage, curage, later courage = Pr. and Cat. coratge, Sp. corage, It. coraggio, a Common Romanic word, answering to a L. type *corāticum, f. cor heart. Cf. the parallel ætāticum from ætāt-em (age); and see -age.]
† 1. The heart as the seat of feeling, thought, etc.; spirit, mind, disposition, nature. Obs.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 3559 Archelaus, of proud corage. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 11 Smale fowles maken melodie..So priketh hem nature in here corages. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode i. xxxiii. (1869) 20 What thinkest in thi corage? c 1430 Stans Puer 5 To all norture thi corage to enclyne. c 1500 Knt. Curtesy 407 in Ritson Met. Rom. III. 213 In his courage he was full sad. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. ii. 57 This soft courage makes your Followers faint. 1638 Drummond of Hawthornden Irene Wks. (1711) 163 Men's courages were growing hot, their hatred kindled. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 41 The Spaniards..attacked it with all the force and maistry the greatest courages were able to invent. |
† b. transf. Of a plant. Obs. (Cf. ‘To bring a thing into good heart.’)
| c 1420 Palladius on Husb. xi. 90 In this courage Hem forto graffe is goode. |
† c. Applied to a person: cf. spirit. Obs.
| 1561 T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer (1577) V j b, The prowes of those diuine courages [viz. Marquesse of Mantua, etc.]. 1647 W. Browne Polex. ii. 197 These two great courages being met, and followed by a small companie of the most resolute pirates. |
† 2. What is in one's mind or thoughts, what one is thinking of or intending; intention, purpose; desire or inclination. Obs. (Cf. ‘To speak one's mind’, ‘to tell all one's heart’.)
| c 1320 Seuyn Sag. (W.) 2446 Lo her, sire, a litel page! That schal sai the thi corage. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 10 Swich a greet corage Hadde this knyght to been a wedded man. 1484 Caxton Chivalry 7 Fayr frend what is your corage or entent. c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 277 Ye mayster dyscouered to her all his courage, how that he loued her. 1557 North tr. Gueuara's Diall Pr. 93 b/1 The romaines had a great corage to conquere straunge realmes. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 289 Many were taken of their owne courage, which might have scaped if they had list. 1607 Shakes. Timon iii. iii. 24 I'de such a courage to do him good. a 1626 Bacon Max. & Uses Com. Law xxii. 81 The law..shall..make construction that my minde and courage is not to enter into the greater bond for any menace. |
† 3. Spirit, liveliness, lustiness, vigour, vital force or energy; also fig. Obs.
| a 1498 J. Warkworth Chron. (Camden) 2 Thei..were greved with colde and rayne, that thei hade no coreage to feght. 1565 Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 505 In the Cardinals of Rome, Pride, Auarice, and Lechery are in their greatest Courage. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 249 They have horses of excellent courage. 1705 Lond. Gaz. No. 4182/4 A Chesnut Mare..of great Courage. |
† b. Anger, wrath; c. Haughtiness, pride; d. Confidence, boldness. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. (Harl.) 1154 The hunt[e] strangled with wilde bores corage. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour F iij b, [She] became..so grete of courage that also to the kynge her lord she bare not so grete reuerence as she ought. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 285 Every man cryed and besought the king to have mercy..for Gods sake refraine your courage, ye have the name of sovereigne noblenesse. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. x. 30 Trompart..Besought him his great corage to appease, And pardon simple man. 1608 Middleton Trick to catch i. i, I will..set so good a courage on my state, That I will be believed. |
† e. Sexual vigour and inclination; lust. Obs.
| 1541 Barnes Wks. (1573) 329/1 By the reason that priestes are so hoate of courage, and can not keepe theyr chastitie. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 129 If the Bull be not lusty enough about his businesse..his courage is also stirred up by the like odours. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] tr. Justin 56 Darius horse..by reason of the courage had to the Mare, forthwith neighed alowde. 1615 Crooke Body of Man 45 If they be taken away, the iollity and courage of the Creature is extinguished. |
4. That quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking; bravery, boldness, valour.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 208 A knycht off gret corage..That thaim comfort with all hys mycht. 1382 Wyclif Isa. xxxv. 3 Seith ȝee of litil corage, taketh coumfort. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxv. §10 The faith of Christ..armeth us with patience, constancy, and courage. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 108 Courage never to submit or yield. 1783 Watson Philip III (1793) II. v. 99 He possessed..the virtues of political and martial courage. 1839 Thirlwall Greece IV. 409 Evagoras..had raised himself by his courage and prudence to the throne. 1841–4 Emerson Ess., Love Wks. (Bohn) I. 75 Courage to defy the world. 1887 T. Fowler Princ. Mor. ii. i. 24 We speak of a man's courage in undertaking some financial, literary, or political enterprise, or in sustaining some misfortune, or in braving public opinion where he believes himself to be in the right. In this application the term is often qualified as Moral Courage. Ibid. 25 Courage in the original sense of the term [the readiness to face physical dangers], that is, Physical Courage. |
† b. Formerly also in pl. in reference to a number of persons. (Cf. hearts.) Obs.
| 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde D 2 The gud courages of al honest enterpreysers in those matters & al other. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 1191 Every man..gave God the praise, for taking away the Turkes courages. 1675 Shadwell Psyche 111, If danger cou'd our courages remove. 1697 Dryden Virg. æneid v. (1806) III. 107 Their drooping courages he cheer'd. 1847 Emerson Poems (1857) 98 Undaunted are their courages, Right Cossacks in their forages. |
c. (with a and pl.) A kind or species of courage; an instance of courage. rare.
| 1886 Tupper My Life as Author 92 But there is nothing like flight: it is easy and speedy, and more a courage than a cowardice. 1888 Wolseley in Sat. Rev. 4 Aug. 136/1 As for Charles Gordon, he had all the courages—the courage of instinct, of religion, of contempt of life. |
d. Phrases, as to take courage, be of good c. (obs. or arch.), pluck up c., lose c., etc. Dutch courage: bravery induced by drinking (colloq.). the courage of one's convictions or opinions [F. le courage de son opinion, cited 1864]: courage in action equal to the courageousness of one's opinion; courage to act consistently with one's opinions.
| c 1490 Caxton Blanchardyn xli. (1890) 154 Bycause they sholde take a better corage for the persone & sight of her. 1535 Coverdale 1 Chron. xix. 13 Take a good corage vnto the, and let us quyte oure selues manly. 1611 Bible Josh. i. 9 Be strong, and of a good courage. ― 2 Chron. xv. 8 He tooke courage, and put away the abominable idoles. 1728 Adv. Capt. R. Boyle 42, I pluck'd up courage enough to speak to her. 1826 Scott Woodst. xii, Laying in a store of what is called Dutch Courage. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 104 He took courage and entered. 1873 H. Spencer Stud. Sociol. viii. 188 A dose of brandy, by stimulating the circulation, produces ‘Dutch courage’. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. Pref. 8, I never could muster up the courage..to undertake the business. 1878 Morley Diderot II. 12 He is one of Swift's Yahoos, with the courage of its opinions. 1883 J. Payn Thicker than Water xxxviii. (1884) 306 That courage of his opinions which he never failed to display against any odds. 1887 Hall Caine Life Coleridge i. 21 [He] believed in the efficacy of the birch, and had the courage of his convictions. |
e. As an exclamation: = Take courage! Cheer up!
| 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 111 What man, corage yet. 1784 Cowper Tirocinium 787 But courage, man! methought the muse replied. 1855 Tennyson Maud ii. 111, Courage, poor heart of stone! |
† 5. to the courage of: so as to awaken or increase the courage of, to the encouragement of.
| 1495 Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 7 To the great corage, boldnesse, and comforte of the seid evyll doers. 1531 Act 23 Hen. VIII, c. 1 Many clerkes conuicte were..suffered to make their purgacions, to the greate corage of euyll doers. 1659 Vulg. Err. Cens. 5 To the cowardise of themselves, or the courage of their enemies. |
▪ II. † courage, a. Obs. rare—0.
[f. prec. n.]
‘Stout’ of body. Hence † courageness.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 92 Corage or craske, crassus, coragiosus. Ibid., Coragenesse or craskeness, crassitudo. |
▪ III. † ˈcourage, v. Obs.
Also 5–6 cor(r)age.
[f. courage n.: perh. partly aphetic (in Eng. or AF.) for acorage, OF. acorager: see accourage (the Eng. examples of which are however late).]
trans. = encourage. (Very common in 16th c.)
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xv, Ye must courage yourself or els ye ben al shente. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 11 b, And corage them the more to lerne. 1535 Coverdale Hos. iv. 8 They..corage them in their wickednesse. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. lxxviii. 91 He coraged them to stand. 1614 T. Adams Devil's Banquet 242 Consecrate and courage your hands and voyces to the vastation of Jericho-walls. |
Hence ˈcouraging vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1545 Brinklow Compl. viii. (1874) 22 It is a great coragyng to hym to troble his neyhbor. 1570 R. Ascham Scholem. (Arb.) 36 He lacketh teaching, he lacketh coraging. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Knt. Burn. Pestle Ind., A couraging part. |