entry
brave
/breɪv/Showing courage in danger or difficulty
From Italian, transmitted through Middle French; ultimate origin uncertain brave (bold).
from Italian bravo "brave, bold," originally "wild, savage," a word of uncertain origin. Possibly
+1 more sourcefrom French brave , "splendid, valiant,"
+1 more sourcefrom French brave , "splendid, valiant,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Italian bravo "brave, bold," originally "wild, savage," a word of uncertain origin. Possibly
+1 more sourcefrom French brave , "splendid, valiant,"
+1 more sourcefrom French brave , "splendid, valiant,"
+1 more sourceThe word arrived in English wearing French clothing but carrying an Italian passport: Middle French brave came from Italian bravo, meaning “brave” or “bold.” Yet bravo originally had a rougher edge, shading toward “wild” or “savage,” and one proposed ancestor is Medieval Latin bravus, “cutthroat” or “villain,” perhaps linked to Latin pravus, “crooked, depraved.” That origin is disputed; some scholars have even suggested a connection with barbarus or Celtic words, so the word’s family tree has a few foggy branches rather than a neat trunk. By 1590, English bravo could mean a desperado or hired killer; by 1761, audiences were shouting “Bravo!” at performers who had done something magnificent. Shakespeare supplied “brave new world” in The Tempest, and Aldous Huxley revived it as the title of his 1932 novel—proof that brave can point either to genuine courage or to glittering appearances. Remember the word’s strange career: yesterday’s hired blade became today’s standing ovation.
The Story
The word arrived in English wearing French clothing but carrying an Italian passport: Middle French brave came from Italian bravo, meaning “brave” or “bold.” Yet bravo originally had a rougher edge, shading toward “wild” or “savage,” and one proposed ancestor is Medieval Latin bravus, “cutthroat” or “villain,” perhaps linked to Latin pravus, “crooked, depraved.” That origin is disputed; some scholars have even suggested a connection with barbarus or Celtic words, so the word’s family tree has a few foggy branches rather than a neat trunk. By 1590, English bravo could mean a desperado or hired killer; by 1761, audiences were shouting “Bravo!” at performers who had done something magnificent. Shakespeare supplied “brave new world” in The Tempest, and Aldous Huxley revived it as the title of his 1932 novel—proof that brave can point either to genuine courage or to glittering appearances. Remember the word’s strange career: yesterday’s hired blade became today’s standing ovation.
Modern Usage
Urban Dictionary records “brave” for facing one’s greatest fear and, occasionally, as an insult toward a cancer survivor.
Kin & Kindred
From 'brave'·bold, valiant, courageous
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary