lily-livered

[ lil-ee-liv-erd ]

/ ˈlɪl iˈlɪv ərd /

weak or lacking in courage; cowardly; pusillanimous.

Origin of lily-livered

First recorded in 1595–1605; lily + liver¹ + -ed³

We must get over this dovish thing, this lily-livered and feline urge to withdraw from battle.

Only Iraq Can Save Itself From Chaos |Jay Parini |June 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Reagan benefited by being sandwiched between two pols frequently mocked as lily-livered.

Obama and Syria: Fighting the Wimp Factor |Gil Troy |September 18, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
"It's well enough for lily-livered, goose-fleshed lawyers to hold their tongues when men and soldiers talk," I retorted.

To Have and To Hold |Mary Johnston
It was the tone best understood by hinds of their lily-livered quality.

The Shame of Motley |Raphael Sabatini

What lily-livered curs those boys must have been not to have told the truth!

An Autobiography |Anthony Trollope
It happened in the last year of Cartouche's supremacy that a lily-livered comrade fell in love with a pretty dressmaker.

A Book of Scoundrels |Charles Whibley
Its well enough for lily-livered, goose-fleshed lawyers to hold their tongues when men and soldiers talk, I retorted.

By order of the company |Mary Johnston

lily-livered

cowardly; timid