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noun
1.
a wretched coward; craven.
adjective
2.
marked by utter cowardice.
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Poltroon
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Origin:
1520–30; earlier pultrowne, pultron, poultroone < Middle French poultron < Old Italian poltrone idler, coward, derivative of poltro foal < Vulgar Latin *pulliter, derivative of Latin pullus young animal; see foal
1520–30; earlier pultrowne, pultron, poultroone < Middle French poultron < Old Italian poltrone idler, coward, derivative of poltro foal < Vulgar Latin *pulliter, derivative of Latin pullus young animal; see foal
Related forms
pol·troon·er·y, noun
pol·troon·ish, adjective
pol·troon·ish·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. dastard.
1. dastard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To poltroon
Collins
World English Dictionary
| poltroon (pɒlˈtruːn) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an abject or contemptible coward |
| —adj | |
| 2. | a rare word for cowardly |
| [C16: from Old French poultron, from Old Italian poltrone lazy good-for-nothing, apparently from poltrīre to lie indolently in bed, from poltro bed] | |
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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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
poltroon
"spiritless coward," 1529, from M.Fr. poultron "rascal, coward," from It. poltrone "lazy fellow, coward," apparently from *poltro "couch, bed" (cf. Milanese polter, Venetian poltrona "couch"), perhaps from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. polstar "pillow," see bolster).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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