Valor

How to spell valor

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce valor

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does valor mean?

1. nounGreat courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.

Valor in a sentence

• The soldier received a medal for his valor during the rescue.

• Firefighters showed remarkable valor as they entered the burning building.

Where does valor come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb valere, which meant 'to be strong' or 'to be of worth', the same root that gives us 'value', 'valid', and 'valiant'. From valere came the Late Latin noun valor, meaning 'worth' or 'strength'. It passed into Old French as valour or valor before reaching English in the 1300s, when it first meant simply 'worth' or 'value' more generally. Over time the sense narrowed to the specific kind of worth shown in battle, namely courage and bravery in the face of danger. The American spelling 'valor' drops the 'u' that the British and Canadian 'valour' keep, mirroring the wider color/colour and honor/honour pattern, and that missing 'u' is the easy slip for writers who see both forms in the media.

How the word is built

• val- (from Latin valere: to be strong, be worth)
• -or (noun-forming suffix)

British and American spelling

Valor is the American spelling. British English spells it valour.