'encourage' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'encoragier/encoragier', where the prefix 'en-' meant 'in' or 'to make' and 'corage' (from Latin 'cor') meant 'heart' or 'spirit'.

'encourage' changed from Old French 'encoragier' into Middle English forms such as 'encouragen' and eventually became the modern English word 'encourage'.

Initially, it meant 'to make courageous' or 'to put heart into'; over time it evolved into the broader modern sense of 'to give support, confidence, or incentive', which includes emotional and practical encouragement.