Ironside

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A nickname given to the 11th-century English king Edmund II, who fought against Danish invaders ; a person known for remarkable courage or a tough, unyielding character
2. The epithet of Edmund II, the English monarch who resisted Cnut's conquest ; a figure of great bravery and resilience who will not bend under pressure
3. Edmund II of England carried this name of honor for his battlefield resistance ; the term also describes someone of exceptional fortitude who stands firm against hardship

Etymology: "Ironside" is a proper noun before it is anything else. The name was borne by Edmund II of England, who was nicknamed "Ironside" in the early eleventh century, and the epithet has stuck to him ever since. Its meaning is plain: a man whose sides are armoured in iron, a figure of resilience and hardness in battle. The word has since taken on a life of its own as a common noun and adjective, used to describe someone unyielding or formidable, often in a stern or stalwart sense. Its best-known modern echo is the nickname of Field Marshal Edmund Ironside, the British commander in the Second World War, whose surname traces back to the same medieval epithet.