craven

English

Etymology

From Middle English craven (adjective)

Pronunciation

• IPA: ˈkreɪvən
• Rhymes: -eɪvən

Adjective

craven (comparative more craven, superlative most craven)

1. Unwilling to fight; lacking even the rudiments of courage; extremely cowardly.

Derived terms

• cry craven

Translations

extremely cowardly

Bulgarian: страхлив Finnish: pelkurimainen Portuguese: covarde

Serbian: Kukavica,plašljivac Spanish: cobarde (es) Swedish: feg (sv), mesig (sv)

Noun

craven (plural cravens)

1. A confessed coward.

Translations

coward

Bulgarian: страхливец Finnish: pelkuri (fi) German: Feigling (de) m.

Icelandic: heigull (is) m., raggeit (is) f., bleyða (is) f. Scottish Gaelic: gealtaire (gd) m. Swedish: mes (sv), feg stackare (sv)

Verb

craven (third-person singular simple present cravens, present participle cravening, simple past and past participle cravened)

1. To make craven.
   • 1609: William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Cymbeline, Act III, Scene IV

     There is a prohibition so divine / That cravens my weak hand.

References

• craven in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• craven in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• carven
• cavern

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French cravanté (“defeated”), past participle of cravanter, from Latin crepare (“to crack", "creak”)

Adjective

craven

1. Defeated.

Etymology 2

Old English crafian, indicating Proto-Germanic *krabōnan (compare related Old Norse krefja (“to demand”) > Danish kræve, Norwegian kreve (“to demand”)).

Verb

craven

1. desire; crave

Derived terms

• icravet (past participle)