poltroon
[ pol-troon ]
/ pɒlˈtrun /
noun
a wretched coward; craven.
adjective
marked by utter cowardice.
Nearby words
polos, polska, poltava, poltergeist, poltoratsk, poltroon, poly, poly bag, poly i:c, poly-, poly-drug
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 forms
pol·troon·er·y, nounpol·troon·ish, adjectivepol·troon·ish·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for poltroon
British Dictionary definitions for poltroon
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