Audacity

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Audacity

Postby Dr. Goodword » Fri May 14, 2021 10:25 pm

• audacity •


Pronunciation: aw-dæs-i-tee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass

Meaning: 1. Striking boldness or daring. 2. Boldness with total disregard for rules and conventions.

In Play: Audacity usually breaks some kind of convention: "I thought that putting a frog in the water cooler showed audacity but wasn't funny in the least." It can also be just extreme boldness, though: "I think it took quite a bit of audacity for Luke Warm to propose to Susan Liddy-Gates. She turned him down, of course."

Word History: Today's Good Word goes back to Latin audax ([audaks]), audacis "bold, daring", the noun from audere "to dare". Audere is an odd variant of avidere "to be eager", based on the adjective avidus "eager", the word which English borrowed as avid after dropping the irrelevant endings. Avidus is the adjective from avere "to long for, desire", a verb which also provided the noun avaritia "greed", which English, after French had polished it up, borrowed for its avarice. Latin avere is based on Proto-Italic awe- "to be eager", from PIE aue- "to like, demand", source also of Welsh ewyllys "will, choice, desire", Sanskrit avati "desires", and Armenian aviwn "lust". (We are happy that Kathleen McCune, now of Sweden had the audacity to suggest today's very interesting Good Word.)
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David Myer
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Re: Audacity

Postby David Myer » Thu May 20, 2021 8:49 pm

Yes, I think there is also an element of gall or cheek in Audacity. It is almost as though you should have no hope of getting away with it, but somehow you do. It's not as outrageous as Chutzpah, of course, but certainly more than just bold or even daring. Or is it just the way I use it?

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Slava
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Re: Audacity

Postby Slava » Fri May 21, 2021 6:36 am

Yes, I think there is also an element of gall or cheek in Audacity. It is almost as though you should have no hope of getting away with it, but somehow you do. It's not as outrageous as Chutzpah, of course, but certainly more than just bold or even daring. Or is it just the way I use it?

I'm pretty sure that's how it's used in B. Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope.
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