FOOLHARDY

[Dr. Goodword]

• foolhardy •

Pronunciation: ful-hah(r)-dee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Dangerously adventuresome, recklessly bold, rash.

Notes: Today's word is one that isn't what it seems. The reason, as we will see in the Word History, is that the meaning of hardy has changed recently. Despite their awkwardness, several dictionaries are willing to allow foolhardily for an adverb and foolhardiness as a noun.

In Play: Foolhardiness involves injudicious risk: "I think M. T. Wallet is foolhardy to invest such a substantial sum to develop an electric fork, the success of the electric knife notwithstanding." Some of us, though, think a little risk spices up our lives: "I find bungee jumping to be as foolhardy as jumping out of an airplane with what amounts to a glorified umbrella."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Old French fol hardi where fol meant "fool" and hardi, "bold, daring", a word that started out as the past participle of hardir "to harden". This Old French word was borrowed from a Germanic language, for hard is Germanic all the way. Kor-t-, also the root underlying hard, underwent metathesis in Greek, resulting in kratos "strength, power", a root that turns up in democrat and democracy "people power, power by the people". The same simple root (kor-) appears with the suffix -k in karkinos "crab, cancer", two things that are hard to live with. In Latin the same word turns up as cancer "crab, cancer". (It would be foolish if not foolhardy to omit thanking Larry Brady for suggesting today's Good Word since he is a powerful voice in our Alpha Agora.)

[Perry]

So were the Hardy Boys bold adventurers, or just prematurely jaded and hard?

[skinem]

So were the Hardy Boys bold adventurers, or just prematurely jaded and hard?

Bold, but never reckless!