Word of the Day

: June 14, 2008

fortitude

noun FOR-tuh-tood

What It Means

: strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage

fortitude in Context

Due to the hot weather, the road race was more a test of fortitude than of athletic ability.

Did You Know?

"Fortitude" comes from the Latin word "fortis," meaning "strong," and in English it has always been used primarily to describe strength of mind. For a time, the word was also used to mean "physical strength" -- Shakespeare used that sense in The First Part of King Henry the Sixth:

"Coward of France! How much he wrongs his fame
Despairing of his own arm's fortitude."

But despite use by the Bard, that second sense languished and is now considered obsolete.