cowardly

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊədli/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

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

1. 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

• cowardlily
• cowardly lion

Translations

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: 겁이 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

cowardly (comparative more cowardly, superlative most cowardly)

1. (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!

Translations

in the manner of a coward

• Catalan: covardament (ca)
• Danish: fej, kujonagtig, krysteragtig
• Finnish: pelkurimaisesti (fi), raukkamaisesti (fi)
• French: lâchement (fr)
• German: feige (de)
• Hungarian: gyáván (hu)
• Italian: vigliaccamente (it), pusillanimamente, vilmente (it)
• Japanese: へたれ (hetare)
• Middle English: cowardly
• Norman: lâchement
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: feig (no)

  Nynorsk: feig

• Portuguese: covardemente, cobardemente
• Romanian: laș (ro)
• Russian: трусли́во (ru) (truslívo), малоду́шно (ru) (malodúšno)
• Spanish: cobardemente
• Volapük: dredöfo, dredöfiko, (♂♀) dredöfaniko, (♂) hidredöfaniko, (♀) jidredöfaniko

Middle English

Alternative forms

• couherdely, couwardli, cowardelye, cowarly, cowerdly, cowwardely, kowardely

Etymology

From coward +‎ -ly (“adverbial suffix”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuːardliː/

Adverb

cowardly

1. In a cowardly or knavish way; cowardlily.

Descendants

• English: cowardie (obsolete)

References

• “cǒuardlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.