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Today it means

audacious

showing a willingness to take bold risks

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Where does the word "audacious" come from? It comes from Latin audax, passing through French before entering English (1550s).

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Where does the word "audacious" come from? It comes from Latin audax, passing through French before entering English (1550s).

Audacious’s story begins in Latin: audax meant “bold.” From 'audere', to dare. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as audacieux. French 'audacieux' was built on 'audace' (boldness); the negative sense 'shameless' appears in English in the 1590s. It reached English by 1550s as audacious. 'audacity' followed. Today, audacious means showing a willingness to take bold risks.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient audax "bold", from 'audere', to dare.
  2. Stage 2 · French · 1500s audacieux "bold", French 'audacieux' was built on 'audace' (boldness); the negative sense 'shameless' appears in English in the 1590s.
  3. Stage 3 · English · 1550s audacious "bold", 'audacity' followed.

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