Where does “brave” come from?

Brave comes from Middle French brave, from Italian bravo, from Vulgar Latin bravus, from Latin barbarus meaning foreign or uncivilized, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-.

brave (English): Strong in the face of fear; courageous; Having...

Definitions

  1. Strong in the face of fear; courageous; Having...

Ancestry of “brave”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchbrave—
2Italianbravogood, well-behaved; good, skilful, capable,...
3Vulgar Latinbravus—
4Latinbarbarusforeign; savage; uncivilized
5Ancient Greekβάρβαροςnon-Greek-speaking, foreign; barbaric, brutal,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbalb-—

Words derived from “brave”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European balb- →Every word from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος →Every word from Latin barbarus →