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courage

noun/ˈkərɪdʒ/

definition

the ability to do something difficult or frightening

example

It took a lot of courage for her to speak in front of the whole school.

synonyms
braveryboldnessdaring
word origin — Middle English (denoting the heart, as the seat of feelings): from Old French corage, from Latin cor ‘heart’

Intermediate — Set 99

Set 99 of Intermediate covers 5 words: courage, adoption, shame, suspect, trouble. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. courage · noun/ˈkərɪdʒ/

    the ability to do something difficult or frightening

    It took a lot of courage for her to speak in front of the whole school.

    Synonyms: bravery, boldness, daring

    Origin: Middle English (denoting the heart, as the seat of feelings): from Old French corage, from Latin cor ‘heart’

  2. adoption · noun/əˈdɑpʃ(ə)n/

    the legal process of becoming the parent of a child who was born to other parents

    After many years of waiting, they finally completed the adoption process and welcomed a little girl into their family.

    Synonyms: taking in

    Origin: Middle English: from Latin adoptio(n-), from ad- ‘to’ + optio(n-) ‘choosing’ (see option)

  3. shame · noun/ʃeɪm/

    the feeling that you have when you have done something wrong

    After realizing that he had accidentally sent an embarrassing email to his entire office, John felt a deep sense of shame and wished he could take it back.

    Synonyms: guilt, embarrassment, disgrace

    Origin: Old English sc(e)amu (noun), sc(e)amian ‘feel shame’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schamen (verb) and German Scham (noun), schämen (verb)

  4. suspect · noun/səˈspɛk(t)/

    a person or thing believed by police or authorities to be guilty of a crime

    The police asked for another 24 hours to question the suspect to decide whether to charge or release him.

    Synonyms: possible criminal

    Origin: Middle English (originally as an adjective): from Latin suspectus ‘mistrusted’, past participle of suspicere, from sub- ‘from below’ + specere ‘to look’

  5. trouble · noun/ˈtrəb(ə)l/

    problem or difficulty

    We had a lot of trouble finding a parking space near the stadium.

    Synonyms: problem, concern, annoyance

    Origin: Middle English: from Old French truble (noun), trubler (verb), based on Latin turbidus (see turbid)