poltroon
[ pol-troon ]
/ pɒlˈtrun /
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noun
a wretched coward; craven.
adjective
marked by utter cowardice.
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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
OTHER WORDS FROM poltroon
pol·troon·er·y, nounpol·troon·ish, adjectivepol·troon·ish·ly, adverbWords nearby poltroon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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
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