Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DIS-COUR'AGE, v.t. [discur'age; dis and courage; Fr. decourager; Arm. digouragi; It. scoraggiare. The Italian is from ex and coraggio. See Courage.]

1. To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits; to deject; to deprive of confidence. Fathers, provoke not your children, lest they be discouraged. – Col. iii.
2. To deter from any thing; with from. Why discourage ye the hearts of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? – Numb. xxxii.
3. To attempt to repress or prevent; to dissuade from; as, to discourage an effort.