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craven

 - 3 dictionary results

cra⋅ven

  [krey-vuhn]
Use craven in a Sentence
–adjective
1. cowardly; contemptibly timid; pusillanimous.
–noun
2. a coward.
–verb (used with object)
3. to make cowardly.
—Idiom
4. cry craven, to yield; capitulate; give up.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME cravant, cravaunde defeated < OF craventé, ptp. of cravanter to crush, overwhelm (< VL *crepantāre), influenced by ME creaunt defeated (see recreant )

Related forms:
cra⋅ven⋅ly, adverb
cra⋅ven⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. dastardly, fearful, timorous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To craven
cra·ven   (krā'vən)   
adj.  Characterized by abject fear; cowardly.
n.  A coward.

[Middle English cravant, perhaps from Old French crevant, present participle of crever, to burst, from Latin crepāre, to break.]
cra'ven·ly adv., cra'ven·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

craven 
c.1225, perhaps from O.Fr. cravante "defeated," pp. of cravanter, from L. crepare "to crack, creak." Sense affected by crave and moved from "defeated" to "cowardly" (1581) perhaps via intermediary sense of "confess oneself defeated."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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