Abstract. The article examines the etymologies of the Bulgarian words in the semantic field of courage: brave (смел), bold (дързък), valiant (храбър), hero (юнак), and valor (доблест). Words expressing the concept ‘courage’ in Bulgarian follow the semantic models typical of Indo-European languages. Дързък ‘bold’ inherited its meaning from Proto-Slavic, preserving the Indo-European root’s meaning without change. For смел ‘brave’, an original meaning related to ‘will’ can be reconstructed. The remaining words show the following patterns of semantic development: ‘sharp’ → ‘brave’; ‘young’ → ‘brave’; ‘healthy, strong’ → ‘brave’. Semantic parallels from Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages are provided.
Keywords: etymology, semantic development, brave, courage.
