lily-livered
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lily-livered
Where it comes from
The first known uses of lily-livered are in William Shakespeare’s works written c. 1603–1606; see quotations below. From the medieval belief that the liver was the seat of courage, and the pale color of the lily flower. A person who had no blood in their liver would have no courage and would thus be a coward. Equivalent to lily + livered.
adjective more lily-livered · most lily-livered
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Cowardly, lacking courage.
Stew[ard],^([sic]) What doſt thou know me for? / Kent. […] [A] lilly lyuer'd action taking knaue, […] one that would'ſt bee a baud in way of good ſeruice, and art nothing but the compoſition of a knaue, begger, coward, pander, and the ſonne and heire of a mungrell bitch, […]
Similar: white-livered
Translations
Every language
adj cowardly — see also cowardly
| Français | poltron |
|---|---|
| Русский | трусли́вый truslívyj |
Talk about this word "lily-livered." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lily-livered. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lily-livered. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lily-livered "lily-livered." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lily-livered.Cite this
@misc{lily_livered_2026,
title = {lily-livered},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lily-livered},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
