coward
English · Thesaurus
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coward¹
- /ˈkaʊəd/ UK
- /ˈkaʊɚd/ US
- /ˈkawə(ɾ)d/ South Asia
Where it comes from
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.
noun cowards
-
A person who lacks courage.
Near-synonyms: big baby, baby
Similar: chicken, pullet, scaredy pants, yellowbelly, big baby, baby, bottler, caitiff, candy-ass, candy-arse, coistril, coward
Opposite: hero
adjective more coward · most coward
- Cowardly. It is a coward and servile humour, for a man to disguise and hide himselfe under a maske, and not dare to shew himselfe as he is.
- Borne in the escutcheon with his tail doubled between his legs.
verb cowards · cowarding · cowarded
- To intimidate. The first he coped with was their captain, whom / His sword sent headless to seek out a tomb. / This cowarded the valour of the rest, […]
Coward²
Where it comes from
From Old English cūhierde (“cowherd”). Doublet of Cowherd and cowherd.
proper noun
- A surname originating as an occupation.
- A town in Florence County, South Carolina, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: lily-livered, pusillanimous, cowardly, white-livered, poor-spirited, craven, poltroon, dastardly, dastard, caitiff, timid, fainthearted, chickenhearted, faint, fearful, cringing
noun
Opposite: hero
Translations
Every language
noun a person who lacks courage
| Español | cobarde, gallina |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 겁쟁이 geopjaeng'i, 비겁자 bigeopja, 겁꾸러기 geopkkureogi, 겁보 geopbo, 겁부 geopbu |
| 日本語 | 臆病者 okubyōmono, 怖がり kowagari, 恐がり kowagari, 怖がり屋 kowagariya, 腰抜け koshinuke, 弱虫 yowamushi |
| 中文 | 懦夫 nuòfū, 孬種 /孬种 nāozhǒng, 孱頭 /孱头 càntou, 膽小鬼 /胆小鬼 dǎnxiǎoguǐ, 軟骨頭 /软骨头, 怯夫 qièfū |
| हिन्दी | कायर kāyar, डरपोक ḍarpok, बुज़दिल buzdil, बुजदिल bujdil, नामर्द nāmard |
| Kiswahili | mwoga |
| Português | covarde |
| Français | couard, couarde, poltron, poltronne, froussard, froussarde |
| Deutsch | Feigling, Angsthase, Schisser, Schisserin, Hosenscheißer, Warmduscher |
| Italiano | codardo, pusillanime, vigliacco, vile, coniglio, fifone |
| Ελληνικά | δειλός deilós, άνανδρος ánandros, κότα kóta, φοβιτσιάρης fovitsiáris, κιοτής kiotís, φοβητσιάρης fovitsiáris |
| Română | laș, lașă |
| Русский | трус trus, труси́ха trusíxa, труси́шка trusíška, ссыку́н ssykún, бздун bzdun, ссыкло́ ssykló |
| Tiếng Việt | người nhát gan, người nhút nhát |
| العربية | جَبَان jabān |
| עברית | פַּחְדָן pakhdán, פחדנית pakhdanít, מוּג לֵב mug lev |
Talk about this word "coward." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/coward. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. coward. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/coward "coward." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/coward.Cite this
@misc{coward_2026,
title = {coward},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/coward},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
