Brave, a. [Compar. Braver; superl. Bravest.]
Etymology: [F. brave, It. or Sp. bravo, (orig.) fierce, wild, savage, prob. from. L. barbarus. See Barbarous, and cf. Bravo.]
1. Bold; courageous; daring; intrepid; -- opposed to cowardly; as, a brave man; a brave act.
2. Having any sort of superiority or excellence; -- especially such as in conspicuous. [Obs. or Archaic as applied to material things.] Iron is a brave commodity where wood aboundeth. Bacon. It being a brave day, I walked to Whitehall. Pepys.
3. Making a fine show or display. [Archaic] Wear my dagger with the braver grace. Shak. For I have gold, and therefore will be brave. In silks I'll rattle it of every color. Robert Greene. Frog and lizard in holiday coats And turtle brave in his golden spots. Emerson.
Syn. -- Courageous; gallant; daring; valiant; valorous; bold; heroic; intrepid; fearless; dauntless; magnanimous; high-spirited; stout- hearted. See Gallant.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Brave, n.
1. A brave person; one who is daring. The star-spangled banner, O,long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. F. S. Key.
2. Specifically, an Indian warrior.
3. A man daring beyond discretion; a bully. Hot braves like thee may fight. Dryden.
4. A challenge; a defiance; bravado. [Obs.] Demetrius, thou dost overween in all; And so in this, to bear me down with braves. Shak.
Brave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braved; p. pr. & vb. n. Braving.]
1. To encounter with courage and fortitude; to set at defiance; to defy; to dare. These I can brave, but those I can not bear. Dryden.
2. To adorn; to make fine or showy. [Obs.] Thou [a tailor whom Grunio was browbeating] hast braved meny men; brave not me; I'll neither be faced or braved. Shak.
Shades of meaning
The adventurous man goes in quest of danger; the bold man stands out and faces danger or censure; the brave man combines confidence with resolution in presence of danger; the chivalrous man puts himself in peril for others' protection. The daring step out to defy danger; the dauntless will not flinch before anything that may come to them; the doughty will give and take limitless hard knocks. The adventurous find something romantic in dangerous enterprises; the venturesome may be simply heedless, reckless, or ignorant. All great explorers have been adventurous; children, fools, and criminals are venturesome. The fearless and intrepid possess unshaken nerves in any place of danger. Courageous is more than brave, adding a moral element: the courageous man steadily encounters perils to which he may be keenly sensitive, at the call of duty; the gallant are brave in a dashing, showy, and splendid way; the valiant not only dare great dangers, but achieve great results; the heroic are nobly daring and dauntless, truly chivalrous, sublimely courageous. Compare fortitude.