Archaic term for bold or daring action; an audacious deed or display of courage.
From Middle English and Old French 'hardiment,' derived from 'hard' (bold) with the suffix '-ment' (used to form nouns from verbs and adjectives, meaning the act or result of). Related to French 'hardi' meaning bold.
Medieval romance writers loved the word 'hardiment' to describe knights performing brave deeds—it literally means 'the state of being bold'—and this suffix '-ment' shows up in hundreds of English words (amusement, amazement) all describing abstract states and actions.
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