recreant

rec·re·ant  (rkr-nt)

adj.

1. Unfaithful or disloyal to a belief, duty, or cause.

2. Craven or cowardly.

n.

1. A faithless or disloyal person.

2. A coward.

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[Middle English recreaunt, defeated, from Old French recreant, present participle of recroire, to yield in a trial by combat, surrender allegiance, from Medieval Latin recrdere, to yield, pledge : Latin re-, re- + Latin crdere, to believe; see kerd- in Indo-European roots.]

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recre·ance, recre·an·cy n.

recre·ant·ly adv.

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recreant

Noun

Archaic a disloyal or cowardly person [Old French recroire to surrender]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	recreant - an abject coward craven, poltroon coward - a person who shows fear or timidity
	2.	recreant - a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc. apostate, deserter, ratter, turncoat, renegade quitter - a person who gives up too easily
Adj.	1.	recreant - having deserted a cause or principle; "some provinces had proved recreant"; "renegade supporters of the usurper" renegade disloyal - deserting your allegiance or duty to leader or cause or principle; "disloyal aides revealed his indiscretions to the papers"
	2.	recreant - lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; "the craven fellow turned and ran"; "a craven proposal to raise the white flag"; "this recreant knight"- Spenser craven cowardly, fearful - lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley