Mettle (Noun)

Definition 1: A person's character, spirit, courage, strength of principle—the stuff one is made of, usually in a positive sense.

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Usage 1: Today's word has an adjective, mettlesome "high-spirited, courageous" (not to be confused with "meddlesome" though pronounced the same), as the feats of mettlesome Achilles on the battlefields of Troy.

Suggested usage: Today's word was one of William Shakespeare's favorites. In Act II of his 'Henry IV' Prince Hal reports "I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff, but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle, a good boy." It was still a poignant term in1928 when D. H. Lawrence wrote in 'Lady Chatterley's Lover,' "Her mettle was roused, she would not be defeated."

Etymology: Today's word came into being as a variant spelling of "metal" in the 16th century but by 1700 it had assumed the metaphoric meaning full time. "Metal" continued to be used to refer to character as well as the metallic substance long after. "Metal" was borrowed from Old French "metal" or "metail" from Latin metallum "mine," taken from Greek metallon "mine, ore, metal."

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