Etymologically
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coraggioso

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 20:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ko.radˈd͡ʒo.zo/, /ko.radˈd͡ʒo.so/[1]

Forms

coraggioso (feminine coraggiosa, masculine plural coraggiosi, feminine plural coraggiose)[1] Old Italian forms include coraçoso, corazosa, curagioso and Sicilian corayusi.[2]

Etymology

It is from Italian coraggio + -oso.[3][4][1][2] The noun was borrowed from Old Occitan coratge (“heart; courage”), from Vulgar Latin *corāticum, a derivative of Latin cor (“heart”).[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Giacomo da Lentini (c. 1230–1250), in the sense of someone with strength of mind, who dares.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the word for a self-assured person, a warrior valiant in arms, an animal, and an action that needs daring.[2] It also meant frank and honest, of noble birth, and noble-hearted or generous.[2] Dante da Maiano writes Talor pensando son sì coraggioso, / che spero dimandar del suo piacere (“Sometimes, thinking, I am so bold that I hope to ask her pleasure”).[7][8]

As a noun it is old too: Castiglione's Cortegiano says that the brave (i coraggiosi) are often known more in small things than in great ones.[7][8] Devoto–Oli adds a modern use for a decision or initiative taken out of conviction against one's own interest or the opinion of many.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 1230–1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses coraggioso.[2][5]
  • Second half of the 13th century – GRADIT's date for the first record.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. brave, courageous: having courage and showing it: un pompiere coraggioso.[3][9][4]
  2. Of an act, done with courage: una scelta coraggiosa.[3][9][10]
  3. Of a decision, bold, taken out of conviction even against one's own interest or common opinion.[9]

Noun

  1. A brave person.[3][9][4][11]

Word family

  • coraggiosamente

Usage notes

Synonyms are audace, ardito and valoroso; the opposite is pavido.[12][4] The s is pronounced both voiced and voiceless.[1][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  4. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ a b c Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3, 760
  8. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  10. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  12. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli