redoubtable
adjective; formal, often approving

- Possessing formidable qualities that inspire respect and perhaps some fear

- Very strong, particularly in character, and causing both respect and slight fear

- Respected for having a powerful character, although also somewhat feared

- Causing fear or alarm; formidable

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

English borrowed "redoubtable" in the 15th century from the French redoutable, meaning “to be feared”. Its source was the Old French verb redouter: to fear or dread.

Go further back and the word becomes rather less fearless. Redouter developed from Latin dubitare, “to doubt” or “hesitate”, strengthened by the prefix re-. The same Latin verb gave English doubt and dubious.

The shift from doubt to fear is less peculiar than it first appears.

Uncertainty makes us hesitate; something powerful enough to produce that hesitation may consequently become an object of fear. Over time, English softened the word. A redoubtable person needn’t be terrifying. Today, the adjective commonly combines strength, achievement and a faint suggestion that opposing this person would be unwise.

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THE SHIP THAT LIVED UP TO ITS NAME


At the Battle of Trafalgar, the French warship Redoutable found itself locked alongside Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory. Its name meant “formidable” or “fearsome” — and on 21 October 1805, it proved remarkably accurate.


The Victory carried considerably more guns, so the French captain, Jean Jacques Étienne Lucas, relied heavily on small arms and close combat. French sailors and soldiers fired muskets and threw grenades from the decks and rigging. They came close to boarding the British ship.


During this savage exchange, a French marksman fired from high in the Redoutable. The ball struck Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson in the shoulder, passed through a lung and lodged near his spine. Nelson died several hours later, after learning that his fleet had won.


The Redoutable paid dearly. British fire devastated the ship, killing or wounding most of those aboard. It surrendered and was taken in tow, but sank during the storm that followed the battle.


The identity of the man who fired the fatal shot was never securely established. One of history’s most consequential bullets therefore belongs not to a famous warrior but to an unnamed sailor on a ship whose name had already warned everyone what to expect.


Helga & Paul Smith


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SYNONYMS

daunting, fearsome, formidable, imposing, intimidating, REDOUBTABLE, respected, strong-willed


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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Before we negotiate let’s prepare a REDOUBTABLE argument.”

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