coward

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: Cow=ard

CIDE DICTIONARY

coward, a. [OF. couard, coard, coart, n. and adj., F. couard, fr. OF. coe, coue, tail, F. queue (fr. L. coda, a form of cauda tail) + -ard; orig., short-tailed, as an epithet of the hare, or perh., turning tail, like a scared dog. Cf. Cue, Queue, Caudal.].

•  Borne in the escutcheon with his tail doubled between his legs; -- said of a lion.  [1913 Webster]
•  Destitute of courage; timid; cowardly.  [1913 Webster]

  "Fie, coward woman, and soft-hearted wretch."  [1913 Webster]
•  Belonging to a coward; proceeding from, or expressive of, base fear or timidity.  [1913 Webster]

  "He raised the house with loud and coward cries."  [1913 Webster]

  "Invading fears repel my coward joy."  [1913 Webster]

coward, n. 

 A person who lacks courage; a timid or pusillanimous person; a poltroon.  [1913 Webster]
"A fool is nauseous, but a coward worse."

Syn. -- Craven; poltroon; dastard.

coward, v. t. 

 To make timorous; to frighten.  [1913 Webster]
"That which cowardeth a man's heart."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

coward, n. & adj.
--n. a person who is easily frightened or intimidated by danger or pain.
--adj. poet. easily frightened.

Etymology

ME f. OF cuard, couard ult. f. L cauda tail

DEVIL DICTIONARY

coward

n. One who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs.

THESAURUS

coward

Milquetoast, Scaramouch, baby, big baby, caitiff, chicken, chicken liver, craven, dastard, fraid-cat, fraidy-cat, funk, funker, gutless, invertebrate, jellyfish, lily liver, lily-livered, milksop, mouse, poltroon, poltroonish, pusillanimous, quitter, recreant, scaredy-cat, sissy, spunkless, unmanly, weak sister, weakling, white feather, white liver

ROGET THESAURUS

coward

Cowardice

N cowardice, pusillanimity, cowardliness, timidity, effeminacy, poltroonery, baseness, dastardness, dastardy, abject fear, funk, Dutch courage, fear, white feather, faint heart, cold feet, yellow streak, coward, poltroon, dastard, sneak, recreant, shy cock, dunghill cock, coistril, milksop, white liver, lily liver, nidget, one that cannot say 'boo' to a goose, slink, Bob Acres, Jerry Sneak, alarmist, terrorist, pessimist, runagate, coward, cowardly, fearful, shy, timid, timorous, skittish, poor- spirited, spiritless, soft, effeminate, weak-minded, infirm of purpose, weak-hearted, fainthearted, chickenhearted, henhearted, lilyhearted, pigeon-hearted, white- livered, lily-livered, milk-livered, milksop, smock-faced, unable to say 'boo' to a goose, dastard, dastardly, base, craven, sneaking, dunghill, recreant, unwarlike, unsoldier-like, in face a lion but in heart a deer, unmanned, frightened, Int, sauve qui peut!, every man for himself!, devil take the hindmost!, ante tubam trepidat, one's courage oozing out, degeneres animos timor arguit, cowardice, pusillanimity, cowardliness, timidity, effeminacy, poltroonery, baseness, dastardness, dastardy, abject fear, funk, Dutch courage, fear, white feather, faint heart, cold feet, yellow streak, coward, poltroon, dastard, sneak, recreant, shy cock, dunghill cock, coistril, milksop, white liver, lily liver, nidget, one that cannot say 'boo' to a goose, slink, Bob Acres, Jerry Sneak, alarmist, terrorist, pessimist, runagate, coward, cowardly, fearful, shy, timid, timorous, skittish, poor- spirited, spiritless, soft, effeminate, weak-minded, infirm of purpose, weak-hearted, fainthearted, chickenhearted, henhearted, lilyhearted, pigeon-hearted, white- livered, lily-livered, milk-livered, milksop, smock-faced, unable to say 'boo' to a goose, dastard, dastardly, base, craven, sneaking, dunghill, recreant, unwarlike, unsoldier-like, in face a lion but in heart a deer, unmanned, frightened, Int, sauve qui peut!, every man for himself!, devil take the hindmost!, ante tubam trepidat, one's courage oozing out, degeneres animos timor arguit.