gumption

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 4, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>gumption</strong> &#149; \GUMP-shun\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Gumption</em> means “courage and confidence,” or in other words, “initiative.”</p> <p>// It took a lot of <em>gumption</em> to speak up for yourself like that.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumption">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“Perhaps this conclusion would have been easier to embrace if more of Nate’s internal journey had been made apparent to the audience throughout season three. But it wasn’t. In early episodes, we do see Nate abiding by his darker impulses. He makes catty comments about Ted at a press conference and fails to shake Ted’s hand after West Ham beats AFC Richmond. But in episode four, the same one that depicts that match, Nate is already aching to apologize to Ted—he just can’t find the <em>gumption</em> to do it.” — Jen Chaney, <em>Vulture</em>, 2 June 2023 </p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>English speakers have had <em>gumption</em> (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term's source isn't known, but early examples of it are found in Scottish (the related terms <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rumblegumption"><em>rumblegumption</em></a> and <em>rumgumption</em> can be found there too). <em>Gumption</em> originally referred to common sense, but American English speakers adopted the word and took it in a new direction, using it to refer to the kind of courage or get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Art historians may know a couple additional applications for the word: <em>gumption</em> was historically used both to refer to the art of preparing painters' colors, and as a synonym of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/megilp"><em>megilp</