Having a fighting spirit is good when it comes to competition, even if it's the simplicity of competing against who you were yesterday. But having a fighting spirit and being pugnacious are two different stories, entirely. And I can say that I, personally, am not a pugnacious person. To each their own, though, right?
Pugnacious | pʌɡˈneɪʃəs: adjective: Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight
What I find most amusing about this word is that it's original Latin root, pugnus*, simply meant fist. While the meaning has evolved a little, what with pugnus transforming into pugnare (meaning to fight, primarily with the fists) and then into pugnax (meaning combative or fond of fighting), I like the original idea behind such a word.
Merriam-Webster goes on to explain that pugnacious is best used for someone who loves man-to-man combat, such as boxing or martial arts. That's what makes it different from its synonyms, including quarrelsome and contentious. A pugnacious character may not like conflict as a whole, but that same character is more than happy to fight up close and personal when needed.
Pugnacious | pəg-ˈnā-shəs: adjective: having a quarrelsome or combative nature, truculent
I look at this word fondly, as it reminds me of a particular character that I read about with admiration and amusement. He was very much a garrulous hare, as he was so often called in the story. And unlike the young, rambunctious character that is currently getting on my nerves, this character is much more well-rounded. Of course, he is much longer through his seasons, so it does make sense.
Sergeant Sapwood dropped into a fighting crouch, his eyes glittering pugnaciously. "Nice of 'em to send a welcomin' committee t' meet us, eh, Ox?"
Sometimes, we find the fun in simpler words. Words with little in their etymology or maybe few uses for real situations can bring life into our stories in ways we can't even fathom as of yet. Until we learn of those fun and simple words, we are lost to their wonders in our writing. It's why I enjoy doing these Word of the Days so much, even if they are sometimes a little shorter than normal.
Do you have any words you'd like to add to my vocabulary? Maybe you have a pugnacious character you'd like to talk about? Be sure to tell me all that and more, and until next time, happy reading!
*Etymology courtesy of etymonline.com.
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