discouraged
UK[dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒd]US[dɪsˈkɜːrɪdʒd]
adj
Having lost confidence or enthusiasm; disheartened.
adj
Deterred or persuaded against doing something.
Morpheme Breakdown
dis
courage
ed
dis
apart/away
courage
bravery
ed
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'discouraged' is built upon the core concept of 'courage,' which stems from the Latin 'cor' meaning 'heart,' the seat of feeling and spirit in ancient thought. The prefix 'dis-' functions to reverse or remove this state, literally meaning "to have the heart taken away." The adjectival suffix '-ed' then fixes this action as a resulting condition. Thus, the etymological logic flows from the literal "deprived of heart or spirit" to the modern abstract sense of being disheartened, having lost confidence, or being deterred from an action.
Analysis
Structure: dis (apart/away) + courage (bravery) + ed (adjective suffix)
- dis: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "apart," "away," or having a reversing force.
- courage: Old French/Latin origin, from 'cor' (heart), meaning "bravery" or "spirit."
- ed: Old English origin, a suffix used to form adjectives from verbs or nouns, indicating a state or condition.
Examples
She felt discouraged after receiving several rejections.
The bad weather discouraged us from going on the hike.
He was discouraged by the lack of progress in the project.