coward

a person who lacks courage; very fearful or timid; craven; dastard: She was too much of a coward to go out after dark.

Not to be confused with:

cowered – cringed, recoiled, crouched as in fear: The puppy cowered in the corner.

cow·ard

(kou′ərd)

One who shows ignoble fear in the face of danger or pain.

[Middle English, from Old French couard, from coue, tail, from Latin cauda.]

cow′ard adj.

Word History: A coward is one who "turns tail." The word comes from Old French couart, coart, "coward," and is related to Italian codardo, "coward." Couart is formed from coe, a northern French dialectal variant of cue, "tail" (from Latin cōda), to which the derogatory suffix -ard was added. This suffix appears in bastard, laggard, and sluggard, to name a few. In heraldry a lion couard, "cowardly lion," was depicted with his tail between his legs. So a coward may be one with his tail hidden between his legs or one who turns tail and runs like a rabbit, with his tail showing.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

coward

(ˈkaʊəd)

a person who shrinks from or avoids danger, pain, or difficulty

[C13: from Old French cuard, from coue tail, from Latin cauda; perhaps suggestive of a frightened animal with its tail between its legs]

Coward

(ˈkaʊəd)

(Biography) Sir Noël (Pierce). 1899–1973, English dramatist, actor, and composer, noted for his sophisticated comedies, which include Private Lives (1930) and Blithe Spirit (1941)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cow•ard

(ˈkaʊ ərd)

n.

1. a person who shows shameful lack of courage or fortitude.

adj.

2. of or pertaining to a coward.

[1175–1225; Middle English < Old French couard-, couart cowardly, derivative of coue tail < Latin cauda]

Cow•ard

(ˈkaʊ ərd)

n.

Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	coward - a person who shows fear or timidity individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" cur - a cowardly and despicable person dastard - a despicable coward craven, poltroon, recreant - an abject coward trembler, quaker - one who quakes and trembles with (or as with) fear shrinking violet, shy person - someone who shrinks from familiarity with others milksop, Milquetoast, pantywaist, pansy - a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive hesitater, hesitator, vacillator, waverer - one who hesitates (usually out of fear)
	2.	Coward - English dramatist and actor and composer noted for his witty and sophisticated comedies (1899-1973) Noel Coward, Sir Noel Pierce Coward

coward

noun wimp, chicken (slang), scaredy-cat (informal), sneak, funk (informal), craven (informal), pussy (slang, chiefly U.S.), yellow-belly (slang), poltroon The man's just a lily-livered coward.

Quotations
"Cowards die many times before their deaths" [William Shakespeare Julius Caesar]
"coward: one who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs" [Ambrose Bierce The Devil's Dictionary]
"May coward shame distain his name,"
"The wretch that dares not die!" [Robert Burns McPherson's Farewell]
"All men would be cowards if they durst" [John Wilmot A Satire against Mankind]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

coward

noun

An ignoble, uncourageous person:

craven, dastard, funk, poltroon.

Slang: chicken, yellow-belly.

Translations

جَبانجَبَان

zbabělec

bangebukskujon

Feigling

δειλός φοβιτσιάρης άνανδρος

cobarde maricón

pelkuri

couard lâche peureux poltron

kukavica

gyáva

hugleysingi

codardo

臆病者

겁쟁이

bailumas

ģļēvulis

strahopetec

fegismes

คนขี้ขลาด

korkak

người nhút nhát

懦夫胆小鬼

coward

[ˈkaʊəd] N → cobarde mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

coward

[ˈkaʊə^rd] n → lâche mf
She's a coward → C'est une lâche.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

coward

n → Feigling m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

coward

[ˈkaʊəd] n → vigliacco/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

coward

(ˈkauəd) noun

a person who shows fear easily or is easily frightened. I am such a coward – I hate going to the dentist.

ˈcowardly adjective

ˈcowardice (-dis) noun

ˈcowardliness noun

coward

→ جَبَان zbabělec kujon Feigling δειλός cobarde pelkuri lâche kukavica codardo 臆病者 겁쟁이 lafaard feiging tchórz covarde трус fegis คนขี้ขลาด korkak người nhút nhát 胆小鬼

coward

a. cobarde, pusilánime.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

No one would think of biting such a little thing, except a coward like me," continued the Lion sadly.

View in context

"Negore, the Coward," he heard Illiha, a young woman, laugh, and Sun-ne, his sister's daughter, laughed with her.

View in context

but base little Pip, he died a coward; died all a'shiver; --out upon Pip!

View in context

If you love Latin, I will repeat you some fine lines out of Horace, which would inspire courage into a coward.

View in context

Can you pity my weakness if I confess to having felt a pang at my heart when I read that part of your letter which calls Frank a coward and a villain?

View in context

Perhaps I was the only one in the office who fancied that I was a coward and a slave, and I fancied it just because I was more highly developed.

View in context

Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss,

View in context

"Death loves a coward," said the Bear, and went forward to fight the flood.

View in context

Acknowledge, that if Albert is brave, he cannot be a coward; he must then have had some reason for acting as he did this morning, and confess that his conduct is more heroic than otherwise."

View in context

Where my jeddak leads I will follow, nor may any jeddak call me a coward or a craven unless I refuse to go where he dares to go.

View in context

Except a creature be part coward, it is not a compliment to say it is brave; it is merely a loose misapplication of the word.

View in context

Where attempts have not been made to reconcile the two moralities, they may be described as follows:--All is GOOD in the noble morality which proceeds from strength, power, health, well-constitutedness, happiness, and awfulness; for, the motive force behind the people practising it is "the struggle for power." The antithesis "good and bad" to this first class means the same as "noble" and "despicable." "Bad" in the master-morality must be applied to the coward, to all acts that spring from weakness, to the man with "an eye to the main chance," who would forsake everything in order to live.

View in context