DON'T PANIC

English

courage

Nearest English gloss

action while fear remains

What the gloss loses

“Courage” easily becomes fearlessness, which is a different condition and sometimes a dangerous one. It also tends to attach to famous men doing dangerous technical things.

Etymology

From Old French corage, from Latin cor, heart. For a long time it meant the heart as seat of feeling, then the quality of facing difficulty.

History

This Guide uses the word for turning back, asking for help, pausing a science, planting a tree, and reading a checklist under time pressure, as well as for attempts that did not work.

What does action look like while fear remains?