Word of the Day: DAUNTING

Disheartening or discouraging

daunting (adj) - intimidating or overwhelming [DAWN-ting]

• daunt means to lessen the courage or resolution of

• dauntless means incapable of being intimidated or subdued

• undaunted means remaining resolute or determined in the face of difficulty or failure

BREAKDOWN: The word daunting and all its variants date back to 15th century Middle English as a derivative of the Old French danter meaning to fear or doubt. Ultimately, its origin is the Latin domare meaning to tame, the source of the root DOMIN- meaning lord, rule, or master.

See also: domineering, indomitable

“I believe in human ingenuity – that when we decide on a task to be done, no matter how daunting it may seem at the beginning, we are able to unleash human ingenuity and human innovative capacity that was unknown, and takes us to a solution.” —Christiana Figueres

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]