poltroon

[pol-troon]

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noun

a wretched coward; craven.

adjective

marked by utter cowardice.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR poltroon

1. dastard.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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
A hero in his study has often proved a poltroon in the field of battle.
Ancient Faiths And Modern|Thomas Inman
Mr. Skinner nodded and retired, leaving Cappy to grit his teeth and curse himself for a poltroon.
Cappy Ricks|Peter B. Kyne
He would have deemed himself a poltroon if he had abandoned his friend now that misfortune had overtaken him.
A Little Garrison|Fritz von der Kyrburg

Fortune often favors brave men in the wrong in preference to aiding cowards in the right, for Fortune loves not a poltroon.
The Drummer Boy|John Trowbridge

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

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.