fortitude

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>fortitude</strong> &#149; \FOR-tuh-tood\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Fortitude</em> is a formal word that refers to the strength of mind that enables someone to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage. Less formal words with similar meanings include <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grit"><em>grit</em></a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiber"><em>fiber</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pluck#h2"><em>pluck</em></a>.</p> <p>// To reach the summit of Denali requires not only great physical strength and training but the <em>fortitude</em> to persevere no matter the challenge. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortitude">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“This emotional novel about forgiveness honors the immense <em>fortitude</em> manifested by families separated during wartime.” — review, <em>The Christian Science Monitor</em>, 24 Jan. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Fortitude</em> comes from the Latin word <em>fortis</em>, 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”; William Shakespeare used it that way in <em>Henry VI, Part 1</em>: “Coward of France! How much he wrongs his fame / <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/despair#h2">Despairing</a> of his own arm's fortitude.” But despite use by the famous bard himself, that meaning <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish">languished</a> and is now considered obsolete. Even the familiar phrase “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intestinal%20fortitude">intestinal fortitude</a>” is just a hum