Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

poltroon

 - 3 dictionary results

pol⋅troon

  [pol-troon]
Use poltroon in a Sentence
–noun
1. a wretched coward; craven.
–adjective
2. marked by utter cowardice.
Origin:
1520–30; earlier pultrowne, pultron, poultroone < MF poultron < OIt poltrone idler, coward, deriv. of poltro foal < VL *pulliter, deriv. of L pullus young animal; see foal

Related forms:
pol⋅troon⋅er⋅y, noun
pol⋅troon⋅ish, adjective
pol⋅troon⋅ish⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. dastard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To poltroon
pol·troon   (pŏl-trōōn')   
n.  A base coward: "Every moment of the fashion industry's misery is richly deserved by the designers . . . and magazine poltroons who perpetuate this absurd creation" (Nina Totenberg).

[French poltron, from Old Italian poltrone, coward, idler, perhaps augmentative of poltro, unbroken colt (from Vulgar Latin *pulliter, from Latin pullus, young animal; see pau-1 in Indo-European roots) or from poltro, bed, lazy.]
pol·troon'er·y 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.
Cite This Source
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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see poltroon on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way