Giving hope, confidence, or encouragement; something that lifts spirits or boosts morale.
Present participle of 'hearten' (to give courage to), from 'heart' plus the suffix '-en' (to cause to be or become). The term developed as people needed to describe emotions and encouragement metaphorically tied to the heart.
The fact that we say 'heartening' instead of 'braining' reveals how deeply we associate the heart with emotion and courage in English—even though science shows the brain does all the emotional heavy lifting. Our word choices preserve ancient beliefs about where feelings 'live.'
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