Sense file
How the sense moved
The archive follows the dated record first, then reads the social or rhetorical pressure that hardened, softened, narrowed, or reversed the word.
Older meaning
Strength, excellence, efficacy, manliness, or valor.
Modern meaning
Moral goodness; often a badge term in praise or accusation.
Research lens
A broad excellence word narrows into moral certification, which is why it still carries so much social weight.
Meaning trail
Root
strength or excellence
The older field includes force, worth, and efficacy.
Older sense
moral strength or power
The word had broader force than modern moralizing alone.
Now
moral goodness or symbolic purity
Modern debate often treats it as a public badge.