prowess

prowess

Prowess means exceptional skill or ability. Your sailing prowess might save your life in a storm, while someone with less experience might make mistakes.

An earlier meaning of this word is exceptional bravery in battle, or a specific act of bravery. Prowess is from Middle English, from Old French proece, proesse, from prou, prud "good, capable, brave." The related English word proud has the now obsolete meaning of brave.

Definitions of prowess

n a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation

Synonyms:: art, artistry

Types:: show 13 types...; hide 13 types...; airmanship, aviation
the art of operating aircraft; eristic
the art of logical disputation (especially if specious); falconry
the art of training falcons to hunt and return; fortification
the art or science of strengthening defenses; homiletics
the art of preaching; horology
the art of designing and making clocks; minstrelsy
the art of a minstrel; musicianship
artistry in performing music; enology, oenology
the art of wine making; puppetry
the art of making puppets and presenting puppet shows; taxidermy
the art of mounting the skins of animals so that they have lifelike appearance; telescopy
the art of making and using telescopes; ventriloquism, ventriloquy
the art of projecting your voice so that it seems to come from another source (as from a ventriloquist's dummy)

Type of:: superior skill
more than ordinary ability

n a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation

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