coward
Meanings
Plural: cowards
Noun
- a person who shows fear or timidity
- English dramatist and actor and composer noted for his witty and sophisticated comedies (1899-1973)
- A person who lacks courage.
Adj
- Cowardly.
- Borne in the escutcheon with his tail doubled between his legs.
Verb
- To intimidate.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English coward, from Old French coart, cuard ( > French couard), from coue (“tail”), coe + -ard (pejorative agent noun suffix); coue, coe is in turn from Latin cauda.
The reference seems to be to an animal "turning tail", or having its tail between its legs, especially a dog. Compare the expression tail between one's legs. Displaced native Old English earg (surviving in northern dialect English argh).
Unrelated to cower, which is of Germanic origin.
Synonyms
baby, big baby, bottler, caitiff, candy-arse, candy-ass, chicken, chicken liver, chickenshit, cocktail, coistril, coward, cowardy custard, craven, dog, fraidy cat, funker, gutless wonder, invertebrate, jessie, lizard, milquetoast, nancy, niddering, nidering, nidget, niding, nithing, Noel Coward, piece of crap, piece of shit, pisspants, pullet, punk, pussy, pussyhole, quakebreech, quakebuttock, quiche-eater, recreant, scaredy cat, scaredy pants, shithouse, Sir Noel Pierce Coward, sissy, slag, sluggard, snool, sook, weak sister, wheyface, yellow back, yellow belly, yellowbelly
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 12
coward is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordcoward is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
coward is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary