poltroonery

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English

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Etymology

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From poltroon +‎ -ery.

Noun

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poltroonery (countable and uncountable, plural poltrooneries)

  1. Cowardice; lack of spirit; pusillanimity.
    • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. IX, Abbot Samson”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk):
      Genius, Poet: do we know what these words mean? [] Nature’s own sacred voice heard once more athwart the dreary boundless element of hearsaying and canting, of twaddle and poltroonery, in which the bewildered Earth, nigh perishing, has lost its way.
    • 1952, C. S. Lewis, chapter 12, in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Collins, published 1998:
      “Your Majesty, your Majesty,” he said, “are you going to tolerate this mutiny, this poltroonery? This is a panic, this is a rout.”

References

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