gumption
noun

- the ability to decide what is the best thing to do in a particular situation, and to do it with energy and determination.

- people with gumption are determined and full of courage — and common sense, too.

Cambridge Dictionary / Vocabulary dot Com

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "gumption" originated in the late 18th century and has its roots in Scottish and Northern English dialects. It is derived from the Middle English word gome, meaning "attention" or "understanding”.

The term gradually evolved to gump, referring to someone who possessed common sense and initiative. Eventually, "gumption" emerged as a noun in the English language, describing the quality of being resourceful, spirited, and full of practical wisdom.

Over time, "gumption" has come to represent the ability to show courage, determination, and shrewdness in dealing with challenging situations. It is often associated with being proactive, having initiative, and displaying the willingness to take decisive action.

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THE GUMPTION OF ERNEST SHACKLETON

Adventure, shipwreck, storms and survival on the high seas.

ENDURANCE is the story of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded. In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 men set sail for the South Atlantic on board a ship called the Endurance. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in ice.

For five months Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways on one of the most savage regions of the world. This utterly gripping book, based on first-hand accounts of crew members and interviews with survivors, describes how the men survived, how they lived together in camps on the ice for 17 months until they reached land, how they were attacked by sea leopards, the diseases which they developed, and the indefatigability of the men and their lasting civility towards one another in the most adverse conditions conceivable.

Amazon Book Review

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SYNONYMS

- steadiness and courage in a demanding situation

acumen, ardour, audaciousness, audacity, backbone, balls, ballsiness, boldness, bottle, bouncebackability, brashness, brassiness, bravehood, braveness, bravery, brio, bulldog spirit, can-do attitude, certitude, chutzpah, cojones, courage, courageousness, daredevilry, daring, derring-do, determination, doggedness, drive, Dunkirk spirit, fearlessness, fervour, fire, fortitude, front, gallantry, get-up-and-go, ginger, grit, grittiness, GUMPTION, gusto, guts, gutsiness, hardihood, horsepower, hutzpah, imperturbability, indefatigability, independence, indomitability, inexorability, insistence, intention, intestinal fortitude, intrepidness, iron will, juice, lion-heartedness, mettle, moxie, nerve, oomph, pecker, persistence, pertinacity, phlegm, pluck, pluckiness, power of endurance, pugnacity, punch, purpose, purposefulness, purposiveness, relentlessness, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, salt, self-assurance, self-assuredness, self-belief (-command, -confidence, -control, -discipline, -reliance), single-mindedness, Sitzfleisch, spine, spirit, spunk, spunkiness, stalwartness, stamina, staunchness, staying power, steadfastness, steadiness, steel, stick-to-it-iveness, stomach, stout-heartedness, strength (of character, of mind, of purpose, of will), sureness, surety, survival skills, temerity, tenaciousness, tenacity, the right stuff, tirelessness, toughness (of spirit), true grit, undauntedness, valiance, valour, venturousness, verve, vigour, vim, wherewithal, will, willfulness, willpower, will to resist (to win), wind in one's sails, zest, zing, zip

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

”Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, is an unputdownable book and a fine example of GUMPTION.”

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