prowess
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈpɹaʊɪs/
  • (GA) IPA: /ˈpɹaʊəs/
Noun

prowess

  1. (uncountable) Skillfulness and manual#Adjective|manual ability; adroitness or dexterity.
  2. (uncountable) distinguished#Adjective|Distinguished bravery or courage, especially in battle#Noun|battle; heroism.
    • 1593, Tho[mas] Nashe, “A Dash through the Dudgen Sonnet against Greene”, in The Apologie of Pierce Pennilesse. Or, Strange Newes, of the Intercepting Certaine Letters: […], Printed at London: By Iohn Danter, […], OCLC 222196160 ↗; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Strange Newes, of the Intercepting Certaine Letters […] (Miscellaneous Tracts; Temp. Eliz. and Jac. I), [London: s.n., 1870], OCLC 906587369 ↗, page 33 ↗:
      That libertie Poets of late in their invectives have exceeded: they have borne their ſword up where it is not lawfull for a poynado, that is but the page of proweſſe, to intermeddle.
  3. (countable) An act of prowess.
    1. An act of adroitness or dexterity.
    2. An act of distinguished bravery or courage; a heroic deed#Noun|deed.
      • a. 1472, Thomas Malory, “Capitulum viij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, OCLC 71490786 ↗, leaf 87, recto; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: Published by David Nutt, […], 1889, OCLC 890162034 ↗, lines 11–15, page 173 ↗:
        Thenne the batails approuched and ſhoue and ſhowted on bothe ſydes / many men ouerthrowen / hurte / & ſlayn and grete valiances#Middle English|valyaunces / proweſſes and appertyces of werre were that day ſhewed {{...}
        (please add an English translation of this quote)
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