Sangfroid
/ˌsɑːŋˈfrwɑː/noun
Calmness or composure, especially under pressure.
Did you know?This French loanword became an English compliment for nerve and composure, but its roots are brutally physical: sang de froid is literally “cold blood,” the body-image behind emotional control.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
sanguis
“blood”
Old French
Old French
sang
“blood”
Old French
Old French
froid
“cold”
18th Century
French
sang-froid
“cold blood; coolness of mind”
19th Century
English
sangfroid
“coolness and composure, especially under stress”
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