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magnanimous

generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival

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Where does the word "magnanimous" come from? It comes from Latin magnanimus, and was adopted directly into English (1580s).

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Where does the word "magnanimous" come from? It comes from Latin magnanimus, and was adopted directly into English (1580s).

Magnanimous’s story begins in Latin: magnanimus meant “great-souled.” 'great-souled', from 'magnus', great, and 'animus', soul, a Latin rendering of Aristotle's ideal of greatness of spirit. It reached English by 1580s as magnanimous. Used in Renaissance writing on virtue and honour. Today, magnanimous means generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient magnanimus "great-souled", 'great-souled', from 'magnus', great, and 'animus', soul, a Latin rendering of Aristotle's ideal of greatness of spirit.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1580s magnanimous "noble-minded", used in Renaissance writing on virtue and honour.

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