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Origin and history of audacious

audacious(adj.)

1540s, "confident, intrepid, daring," from French audacieux, from audace "boldness," from Latin audacia "daring, boldness, courage," from audax "brave, bold, daring," but more often "bold" in a bad sense, "rash, foolhardy," from audere "to dare, be bold," which de Vaan says is derived from avidus "greedy" (see avarice). In English, the bad sense of "shameless, unrestrained by propriety" is attested from 1590s. Related: Audaciously; audaciousness.

also from 1540s

Entries linking to audacious

avarice(n.)

c. 1300, "inordinate desire of gaining and possessing wealth," fifth of the seven deadly sins, from Old French avarice "greed, covetousness" (12c.), from Latin avaritia "greed, inordinate desire," from avarus "greedy, grasping," adjectival form of avere "crave, long for, be eager," from Proto-Italic *awe- "to be eager," from PIE *heu-eh- "to enjoy, consume" (source also of Sanskrit avasa- "refreshment, food," avisya- "gluttony;" Welsh ewyllys "will;" Armenian aviwn "lust").

In Middle English it also was used of immoderate desire for knowledge, glory, power, etc., but it "has become limited, except in figurative uses, so as to express only a sordid and mastering desire to get wealth" [Century Dictionary].

audacity(n.)

early 15c., "boldness, courage, daring; vigor, animation," from Medieval Latin audacitas "boldness," from Latin audacis genitive of audax "bold, daring; rash, foolhardy" (see audacious). In English, the meaning "presumptuous impudence," implying contempt of moral restraint, is from 1530s.

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    brave
    "exhibiting courage or courageous endurance," late 15c., from French brave, "splendid, valiant," from Italian bravo "brave, bold," originally "wild, savage," a word of uncertain origin. Possibly from Medieval Latin bravus "cutthroat, villain," from Latin pravus "crooked, depraved
    hardy
    c. 1200, "bold, daring, fearless," also "presumptuous, audacious," from Old French hardi "bold, brave, courageous; confident, presumptuous," from past participle of hardir "to harden, be or make bold," from Frankish *hardjan "to make hard" (source also of Old Frisian herda, Old H
    bold
    Also in a bad sense, "audacious, presumptuous, overstepping usual bounds" (c. 1200)....
    cool
    Meaning "calmly audacious" is from 1825....
    miscegenation
    design of "Miscegenation" was exceedingly ambitious, and the machinery employed was probably among the most ingenious and audacious...
    fair
    Others, who have not gone to such a height of audacious wickedness, have yet considered common prostitutes as fair game,...
    hydra
    name of the many-headed Lernaean water serpent slain by Herakles in Greek mythology, late 14c., idre, from Greek Hydra, fem. of hydros "water-snake," from hydor "water" (from suffixed form of PIE root *wed- (1) "water; wet"). The word is etymologically related to Sanskrit udrah "
    patient
    mid-14c., paciente, "capable of enduring misfortune, suffering, etc., without complaint," from Old French pacient and directly from Latin patientem "bearing, supporting, suffering, enduring, permitting" (see patience). From late 14c. as "slow to anger, self-restrained, having the
    hegemony
    1560s, "preponderance, dominance, leadership," originally of predominance of one city state or another in Greek history; from Greek hēgemonia "leadership, a leading the way, a going first;" also "the authority or sovereignty of one city-state over a number of others," as Athens i
    sedulous
    "diligent in application or pursuit of an object," 1530s, from Latin sedulus "attentive, painstaking, diligent, busy, zealous," probably from sedulo (adv.) "sincerely, diligently," from sedolo "without deception or guile," from se- "without, apart" (see se-) + dolo, ablative of d

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