mettle

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The Word of the Day for June 20 is:

mettle   \MET-ul\   noun
    *1 a : vigor and strength of spirit or temperament  b : 
staying quality : stamina 
     2 : quality of temperament or disposition 

Example sentence:
     The rough trail is challenging enough to test the mettle of 
even the strongest and most experienced mountain biker.

Did you know? 
     Originally, "mettle" was simply a variant spelling of the 
word "metal" (which dates to at least the 14th century), and it 
was used in all of the same senses as its metallic relative. 
Over time, however, "mettle" came to be used mainly in 
figurative senses referring to the quality of someone's 
character. It eventually became a distinct English word in its 
own right, losing its literal sense altogether. "Metal" remained 
a term primarily used for those hard shiny substances such as 
steel or iron, but it also acquired a figurative use. Today, 
both words can mean "vigor and strength of spirit or 
temperament," but only "metal" is used of metallic substances.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.