lily-livered

[lil-ee-liv-erd] Origin

lil·y-liv·ered

[lil-ee-liv-erd]
adjective
weak or lacking in courage; cowardly; pusillanimous.

Origin:
1595–1605; lily + liver1 + -ed3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Lily-livered is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
lily-livered
 
adj
cowardly; timid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

lily-livered
"cowardly," 1605, in "Macbeth;" from lily (in its color sense of "pale, bloodless") + liver, which was a supposed seat of love and passion. A healthy liver is typically dark reddish-brown.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

lily-livered definition


  1. mod.
    cowardly. : That lily-livered guy is up hiding under his bed till this blows over.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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