mettle
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
mettle
- /ˈmɛtəl/
Sounds like metal, medal (t-flapping), meddle (t-flapping) · Rhymes with -ɛtəl
Where it comes from
From figurative use of metal (since 16th century). The two spellings were originally interchangeable variants, but came to be distinguished by sense in the 18th century.
noun mettles
- A quality of courage and endurance. By this Day and this Light, the fellow ha's mettell enough in his belly.
- Good temperament and character. Your Maſter quits you: and for your ſeruice done him, / So much againſt the mettle of your ſex
- Obsolete spelling of metal (“metallic substance”). They have neither gold nor silver of their owne, wine nor oyle, or scarce any corne growing in those united Provinces, little or no Wood, Tinne, Lead, Iron, Silke, Wooll, any stuffe almost, or Mettle; and yet Hungary, Transilvania, that bragge of their mines, fertile England cannot compare with them
adjective
- Spirited, vigorous, stout-hearted. And then one afternoon in the hinder end of April came young Heriotside riding to the Skerburnfoot. His arm was healed, he had got him a fine new suit of green, and his horse was a mettle beast that well set off his figure.
Translations
Every language
noun a quality of endurance and courage
| 中文 | 膽魄 /胆魄 dǎnpò |
|---|---|
| Português | firmeza |
| Français | prouesse |
| Deutsch | Mut, Eifer, Enthusiasmus, Stamina |
| Русский | пыл pyl, рве́ние rvénije, выно́сливость vynóslivostʹ |
| العربية | معدن |
noun good temperament and character
| Deutsch | Feurigkeit |
|---|
Talk about this word "mettle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mettle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. mettle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mettle "mettle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mettle.Cite this
@misc{mettle_2026,
title = {mettle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mettle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
