daunt
to intimidate or discourage
Root
- dom / tame: tame, subdue, or bring under control
Other words with the dom / tame root
- tame: not wild; brought under control
To daunt is to tame someone's courage: the task feels strong enough to subdue resolve.
The dense reading passage did not daunt her after weeks of practice.
Daunt comes from a tame-or-subdue family. The word is emotional now: a problem daunts you when it pushes your courage down before you begin.