Definition:
: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty
About the Word:
Courage comes from the Old French word curage, which draws from the word cuer, meaning 'heart.' Another English word descended from cuer (albeit one that has wandered a bit farther afield) is cordial. Both it and courage ultimately can be traced back to the Latin cor, also meaning 'heart.' This proves that "You gotta have heart" is not just a line from a song in the Broadway play Damn Yankees, but is also a deeply profound etymological truism. Well, not really, but it does nicely show the connection between the heart and courage.
Example:
"It is interesting to note that Mr. McCarthy thinks favorably of it as a profession, and records his conviction that nothing but laziness and lack of courage will prevent a capable journalist making a thousand a year." — Pitman's Journal of Commercial Education, August 1896
