poltroon

noun

pol·troon | \päl-ˈtrün

Definition of poltroon

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a spiritless coward : craven

poltroon

adjective

Definition of poltroon (Entry 2 of 2)

: characterized by complete cowardice

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about poltroon

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Did You Know?

Noun

When you get down to synonyms, a "poltroon" is just a "chicken." Barnyard chickens are fowl that have long been noted for timidity, and the name "chicken" has been applied to human cowards since the 17th century. "Poltroon" has been used for wimps and cravens for even longer, since the early 16th century at least. And if you remember that chickens are dubbed "poultry," you may guess that the birds and the cowards are linked by etymology as well as synonymy. English picked up "poltroon" from Middle French, which in turn got it from Old Italian poltrone, meaning "coward." The Italian term has been traced to the Latin pullus, a root that is also an ancestor of "pullet" (a young hen) and "poultry."