poltroon

[ pol-troon ]
/ pɒlˈtrun /

noun

a wretched coward; craven.

adjective

marked by utter cowardice.

Origin of poltroon

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

OTHER WORDS FROM poltroon

pol·troon·er·y, noun pol·troon·ish, adjective pol·troon·ish·ly, adverb

Words nearby poltroon

Example sentences from the Web for poltroon

British Dictionary definitions for poltroon

poltroon
/ (pɒlˈtruːn) /

noun

an abject or contemptible coward

adjective

a rare word for cowardly

Word Origin for poltroon

C16: from Old French poultron, from Old Italian poltrone lazy good-for-nothing, apparently from poltrīre to lie indolently in bed, from poltro bed