orgulous

adjective

or·​gu·​lous ˈȯr-gyə-ləs 

-gə-

: proud

Did you know?

"In Troy, there lies the scene. From Isles of Greece / The princes orgulous, their high blood chaf'd, / Have to the port of Athens sent their ships." Thus William Shakespeare begins the Trojan War tale Troilus and Cressida, employing orgulous, a colorful word first adopted in the 13th century from Anglo-French orguillus. After the Bard's day, orgulous dropped from sight for 200 years; there is no record of its use until it was rejuvenated by the pens of Robert Southey and Sir Walter Scott in the early 1800s. 20th-century authors (including James Joyce and W. H. Auden) continued its renaissance, and it remains an elegant (if infrequent) choice for today's writers.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French orguillus, from orguil pride, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German urguol distinguished

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

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