moxie
/ˈmɒksi/ noun
Forms moxy
Synonyms
spirit backbone determination fortitude vigor pep energy initiative know-how grit guts sand gumption
Etymology
First recorded use in 1930. From the name of an American soft drink Moxie made since 1885 to which advertisement ascribed many beneficial properties directly but also indirectly by using the same name as a patent medicine first manufactured in 1878. The word appears in very many place names in Maine, especially of falls and ponds, as well as the local name of a plant, the moxie-plum, and is perhaps ultimately from an Abenaki word meaning 'dark water' or an Algonquian root maski- meaning 'herbal infusion'.
Webster’s 1913
- noun energy; pep.
- noun courage, determination.
Etymology [fr. Moxie, a trade name for a beverage.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “moxie”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details