Moxie
Etymology
Unusually, this comes straight from a brand name. Moxie was a bitter New England soft drink trademarked in 1885 and sold as a "nerve food" tonic promising vim and vigor. Americans took the advertised quality and turned the name into a common noun for exactly that — spirit and nerve. The origin of the drink’s own name is uncertain; its inventor claimed it honored a "Lieutenant Moxie," which historians treat skeptically.
noun · /MOK-see/
Nerve, energy, and the pluck to take something on.
What it names
A warm, admiring word for guts in action — useful when you want to praise someone’s daring without sounding stuffy about "courage."
Example
It took real moxie for a first-year associate to challenge the partner’s numbers in front of the client.
Related idea
Gumption leans toward practical initiative and horse sense; moxie leans toward brash, energetic nerve.