cowardly

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English *cowardly (adjective) and cowardly (adverb), equivalent to coward +‎ -ly. Displaced native Old English earg.

Pronunciation edit

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊədli/
Audio (Southern England) (file)

Adjective edit

cowardly (comparative cowardlier or more cowardly, superlative cowardliest or most cowardly)

Showing cowardice; lacking in courage; weakly fearful.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cowardly
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii]:
  The cowardly rascals that ran from the battle.
- 1780, Edmund Burke, speech at The Guildhall, in Bristol
  The cowardly rashness of those who dare not look danger in the face.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

showing cowardice

Arabic: جَبَان (ar) (jabān)
Egyptian Arabic: جبان (gabān)
Armenian: վախկոտ (hy) (vaxkot)
Azerbaijani: qorxaq (az)
Bashkir: ҡурҡаҡ (qurqaq)
Basque: koldar
Belarusian: баязлі́вы (bajazlívy)
Bulgarian: страхли́в (bg) (strahlív), мекуша́в (bg) (mekušáv)
Catalan: covard (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 膽小／胆小 (zh) (dǎnxiǎo), 膽怯／胆怯 (zh) (dǎnqiè, dǎnquè), 懦怯 (zh) (nuòqiè), 懦弱 (zh) (nuòruò)
Czech: zbabělý (cs)
Danish: fej
Dutch: laf (nl)
Esperanto: malkuraĝa, senkuraĝa, poltrona, kovarda (cowardly and ignoble)
Finnish: pelkurimainen (fi), raukkamainen (fi)
French: lâche (fr), veule (fr), bas (fr)
German: feige (de)
Greek: δειλός (el) (deilós)
Ancient: δειλός (deilós), ἄσπλαγχνος (ásplankhnos)
Gujarati: કાયર (kāyar), બીકણ (bīkaṇ)
Hindi: कायर (hi) (kāyar), डरपोक (hi) (ḍarpok)
Hungarian: gyáva (hu)
Icelandic: huglaus
Ingrian: arka
Irish: meata
Italian: codardo (it), pusillanime (it), vigliacco (it), vile (it)
Japanese: へたれ (hetare), 臆病な (ja) (おくびょうな, okubyō na)
Kazakh: қорқақ (kk) (qorqaq)
Khmer: កំសាក (km) (kɑmsaak)
Korean: 겁 이 많다 (geob-i manta)
Kyrgyz: коркок (ky) (korkok)
Latin: īgnāvus
Macedonian: плашлив (plašliv), кукавички (kukavički)
Manx: faitagh
Maori: hūngoingoi
Middle English: coward
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: аймхай (mn) (ajmxaj), хулчгар (mn) (xulčgar)
Norman: lâche
Norwegian:
Bokmål: feig (no)

Nynorsk: feig
Old English: earg
Old Punjabi: ਕਾਇਰੁ (kāiru)
Ottoman Turkish: یوركسز (yüreksiz), طبانسز (tabansız)
Pali: asūra, bhīru, bhīruka
Persian: ترسو (fa) (tarsu)
Plautdietsch: enjstlich
Polish: tchórzliwy (pl)
Portuguese: covarde (pt), cobarde (pt)
Prakrit: 𑀓𑀸𑀬𑀭 (kāyara)
Punjabi: ਕਾਇਰ (kāira), کائر (kā'ir)
Romanian: laș (ro), fricos (ro), mișel (ro)
Russian: трусли́вый (ru) (truslívyj), малоду́шный (ru) (malodúšnyj)
Sanskrit: कातर (sa) (kātara), कापुरुष (sa) (kāpuruṣa), भीरु (sa) (bhīru)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ку̏кавички

Roman: kȕkavički (sh)
Slovak: zbabelý
Slovene: strahopeten (sl)
Spanish: cobarde (es)
Swedish: feg (sv)
Tatar: куркак (qurkak)
Thai: ขี้ขลาด (th) (kîi-klàat), ขี้กลัว, กลัว (th) (gluua), ขลาด (th) (klàat)
Turkish: korkak (tr)
Ukrainian: боягу́зливий (uk) (bojahúzlyvyj), боязки́й (uk) (bojazkýj), боязли́вий (uk) (bojazlývyj)
Uyghur: قورقۇنچاق (qorqunchaq)
Uzbek: qoʻrqoq (uz), yuraksiz (uz)
Volapük: dredöfik (vo)
Yiddish: פּחדניש (pakhdonish)

Adverb edit

cowardly (comparative more cowardly, superlative most cowardly)

(archaic) In the manner of a coward, cowardlily.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene v:
  We will not ſteale vpon him cowardly,
  But giue him warning and more warriours.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 48:
  I love to follow them, but not so cowardly, as my life remaine thereby in subjection.
- 1828, John Paul, A Refutation of Arianism‎^[1], page 20:
  […] men who cowardly and hypocritically subscribe orthodox creeds, whilst they teach a different kind of doctrine!