And to this day, Boudicca's name is commemorated by the adjective we use to describe a lively, spirited woman: bodacious.
Your source?
I have a question regarding the etymology of the word bodacious. I thought it was a colloquialism unique to America. A friend of mine said it came from the Iceni queen Boadicea (Boudicca) who was definitely bodacious. Is there any truth to her statement?
While that is a tantalizing explanation for the origin of bodacious, it is completely in error. The word is simply a portmanteau of bold and audacious. It is most often heard in the U.S. South. In the New York area, it takes the form bardacious. The British English dialectal form boldacious is likely the source of the American forms.
As we've mentioned before, it is quite easy to make logical guesses about the origin of words and phrases, but one must also have some sort of evidence to back up those guesses.