coward
Plural: cowards
Noun
- A person who shows a shameful lack of courage.
- 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.
Examples
- To challenge a valid word without certainty is the act of a Scrabble coward.
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
Noel Coward, Sir Noel Pierce Coward, 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, piece of crap, piece of shit, pisspants, pullet, punk, pussy, pussyhole, quakebreech, quakebuttock, quiche-eater, recreant, scaredy cat, scaredy pants, shithouse, sissy, slag, sluggard, snool, sook, weak sister, wheyface, yellow back, yellow belly, yellowbelly
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 12
coward: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordcoward: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
coward: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary