milquetoast
[ milk-tohst ]
/ ˈmɪlkˌtoʊst /
noun (sometimes initial capital letter)
a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated: a milquetoast who's afraid to ask for a raise.
Nearby words
milosz, milošević, milpa, milphosis, milpitas, milquetoast, milreis, milroy's disease, milstein, milstein, nathan, milt
Origin of milquetoast
1935–40, Americanism; after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885–1952), American cartoonist
Also called Caspar Milquetoast.
Can be confusedmilk toast milquetoast
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for milquetoast
British Dictionary definitions for milquetoast
milquetoast
/ (ˈmɪlkˌtəʊst) /
noun
US and Canadian a meek, submissive, or timid person
Word Origin for milquetoast
C20: from Caspar Milquetoast, a cartoon character invented by H. T. Webster (1885–1952)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for milquetoast
milquetoast
"timid, meek person," 1938, from Caspar Milquetoast, character created by U.S. newspaper cartoonist H.T. Webster (1885-1952) in the strip "The Timid Soul," which ran from 1924 in the "New York World" and later the "Herald Tribune." By 1930 the name was being referenced as a type of the meek man. The form seems to be milktoast with an added French twist; cf. also milksop.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper