poltroon

[pol-troon]

See more synonyms for poltroon on Thesaurus.com

noun

a wretched coward; craven.

adjective

marked by utter cowardice.

Origin of poltroon

1520–30; earlier pultrowne, pultron, poultroone < Middle French poultron < Old Italian poltrone idler, coward, derivative of poltro foal < Vulgar Latin *pulliter, derivative of Latin pullus young animal; see foal

Related formspol·troon·er·y, nounpol·troon·ish, adjectivepol·troon·ish·ly, adverb

Synonyms for poltroon

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. dastard.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for poltroon

milksop, varlet, dastard, coward, craven, weakling, yellowbelly

Examples from the Web for poltroon

Historical Examples of poltroon

He was certainly no poltroon, but he felt that she was right.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola
"I am not a poltroon though," he said to himself as he finished dressing.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
He had slipped away like the poltroon that he was, leaving Peter to his fate.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs
This is the charge which will always make the poltroon squirm.
Henry IV, Makers of History
John S. C. Abbott
If it was that poltroon, Ferdinand, I would have him thrown out by my lackeys.
Secret Memoirs: The Story of Louise, Crown Princess
Henry W. Fischer

British Dictionary definitions for poltroon

poltroon

noun

an abject or contemptible coward

adjective

a rare word for cowardly

Word Origin for poltroon

C16: from Old French poultron, from Old Italian poltrone lazy good-for-nothing, apparently from poltrīre to lie indolently in bed, from poltro bed

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 poltroon

"A coward; a nidgit; a scoundrel" [Johnson, who spells it poltron], 1520s, from Middle French poultron "rascal, coward" (16c., Modern French poltron), from Italian poltrone "lazy fellow, coward," apparently from *poltro "couch, bed" (cf. Milanese polter, Venetian poltrona "couch"), perhaps from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German polstar "pillow;" see bolster (n.)). Cf. also -oon.