courage

Courage is the strength inside that lets you face fear. Not the absence of fear — the going on anyway.

That distinction is the whole word, and every good definition of courage keeps it. English divides the ground finely: physical courage runs into a burning building, and moral courage says the unpopular thing in a meeting. There are fixed phrases for finding it, since plucking up courage and screwing up your courage both describe the effort. The root is Latin cor, a heart, which is why taking heart means the same thing.

Phrases it lives in

• pluck up courage — force yourself to be brave enough to do something