Skip to content
word of the day

The word for today is…

mettlesome (adjective):

full of mettle, spirited

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : The 17th-century adjective mettlesome (popularly used of spirited horses) sometimes appeared as the variant metalsome. That’s not surprising. In the 16th century and for some time after, mettle was a variant spelling of metal—that is, the word for substances such as gold, copper, and iron. The 16th century was also when metal—or mettle—acquired the figurative sense of “spirit,” “courage,” or “stamina.” However, by the early 18th century, dictionaries were noting the distinction between metal, used for the substance, and mettle, used for “spirit,” so that nowadays the words mettle and mettlesome are rarely associated with metal.

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

Dragging New Zealand Left

Dragging New Zealand Left

New Zealand First and National are not right-wing parties. Their willingness to engage in economic interventionism and steal each other’s policies places them both firmly left-of-centre.

Members Public