discourage

What it means

1. transitiveTo extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject.

   Don't be discouraged by the amount of work left to do: you'll finish it in good time.

   1 more example

   Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Colossians 3:21

   Synonyms: dash

2. transitiveTo persuade somebody not to do (something).

   Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.

   1854, Abraham Lincoln., Notes for a Law Lecture

In a sentence

Don't be discouraged by the amount of work left to do: you'll finish it in good time.

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
2. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
3. Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
4. Proto-Italic*dis-
5. Latindis-
6. Old Frenchdes-
7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱerd-
8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱḗr ~ *ḱr̥dés
9. Proto-Italic*kord
10. Latincor n
11. Latin*corem
12. Vulgar Latin*corāticum
13. Old Frenchcorage
14. Old Frenchdescouragier
15. Middle Frenchdescourager
16. Englishdiscourage

From Middle French descourager (modern French décourager), from Old French descouragier, from des- and corage. By surface analysis, dis- + courage.