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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
polo shirt, Pol Pot, Polska, Poltava, poltergeist, poltroon, poly, polyacid, polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use poltroon in a sentence
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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