Having a noble, generous, and courageous spirit; showing kindness and bravery in dealing with others.
From Middle English 'great' (from Old English 'grēat') combined with 'hearted' (from Old English 'heorte', meaning the seat of emotions and courage). The compound emerged in medieval English to describe people of exceptional moral character.
Before psychology existed, people literally thought courage and generosity came from the heart itself—that's why 'greatheartedness' became the way to describe moral nobility. Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers loved this word because it captured something you could see in a person's actions.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.