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poltroon

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.15 sec.
pol·troon  (pl-trn)
n.
A base coward: "Every moment of the fashion industry's misery is richly deserved by the designers . . . and magazine poltroons who perpetuate this absurd creation" (Nina Totenberg).
[French poltron, from Old Italian poltrone, coward, idler, perhaps augmentative of poltro, unbroken colt (from Vulgar Latin *pulliter, from Latin pullus, young animal; see pau-1 in Indo-European roots) or from poltro, bed, lazy.]
pol·trooner·y n.
poltroon
Noun
Obsolete a complete coward [Old Italian poltrone lazy good-for-nothing]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.poltroon - an abject coward
craven, recreant
coward - a person who shows fear or timidity
Adj.1.poltroon - characterized by complete cowardliness
cowardly, fearful - lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Russians, when abroad, are over-apt to play the poltroon, to watch all their words, and to wonder what people are thinking of their conduct, or whether such and such a thing is 'comme il faut.
The Gambler by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor View in context
It would be easier for the weakest poltroon that lives, to erase himself from existence, than to erase one letter of his name or crimes from the knitted register of Madame Defarge.
A Tale Of Two Cities by Dickens, Charles View in context
No lying poltroon, but a courageous man whom you all love.
The Chessmen of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context
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