bravado

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɹɑˈvɑdoʊ/, /bɹəˈvɑdoʊ/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French bravade (“bragging, boasting”)^[2][3][4] or Spanish bravada,^[5][2][6] both from Italian bravata (“bragging, boasting”),^[2][3][4] from bravare “to brag, be defiant”,^[2][3][4] from bravo “brave, bold”.^[2][3][5] It is related to brave.^[5][2][3] The ending was reshaped after Spanish words in -ado already used in English, such as desperado.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Boastful or pretentiously bold behaviour (1583).^[2][3] The form bravade is recorded from 1579.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From the start it meant an ostentatious show of courage, often meant to intimidate.^[7][3] In the 17th and 18th centuries it was also a noun for a swaggering fellow, a bully.^[3][7] The modern word stresses a pretence of bravery that may hide fear.^[5][4][6]

Timeline

• 1579 – bravade.^[2]
• 1583 – bravado.^[2][7]
• 1599 – boastful or threatening behaviour.^[7]
• 1653 – a swaggering fellow (obsolete).^[7]
• 1800 – verb, to show bravado.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Defiant, swaggering behaviour.
2. A false show of courage.
3. A tendency to show off defiance; foolhardiness.

Related words

• brave
• bravo
• braggadocio
• desperado

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press