Valorous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈvælərəs/

Definitions

1. Characterized by or showing great courage and bravery in the face of danger
2. demonstrating exceptional courage and fearlessness when confronted with peril or adversity
3. displaying remarkable bravery and intrepidity in situations requiring bold action despite risk

Etymology: "Valorous" is a straightforward borrowing: English took it from Old French "valeureux", an adjective built on "valeur", meaning worth, value, or courage. That French noun descends from Latin "valere", "to be strong or of worth", which also gave English "valiant" and "value" through other routes. The shared root shows how closely English ideas of worth and bravery were once tied: a person of great "valour" was a person of great worth on the battlefield. Both "valour" and "valorous" are in the same family as "valiant", which reached English through a separate French path, so the three words are cousins rather than one word passed down in different forms. The suffix "-ous", from Latin "-osus", marks the adjective as "full of" the quality named by the noun, so a valorous person is full of valour.

Synonyms: brave, courageous, heroic

Antonyms: cowardly, timid