pusillanimous
[pyoo-suh-lan-uh-muh s]
- lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.
- proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.
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Origin of pusillanimous
1580–90; < Late Latin pusillanimis petty-spirited, equivalent to Latin pusill(us) very small, petty + -anim(is) -spirited, -minded (anim(us) spirit + -is adj. suffix); see -ous
Synonyms
See more synonyms for pusillanimous on Thesaurus.com1. timorous, fearful, frightened.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pusillanimous
Contemporary Examples
But on this issue of Haredi service his pusillanimous silence has been disappointing and self-defeating.
Historical Examples
It is a pusillanimous desertion of our work to gaze after our neighbors.
Essays, First SeriesRalph Waldo Emerson
Catharine was glad to have the pusillanimous Charles out of the way.
Henry IV, Makers of HistoryJohn S. C. Abbott
A blind faith is only one remove from a pusillanimous skepticism.
Christianity and Greek PhilosophyBenjamin Franklin Cocker
He was of a mean appearance, and, like his father, pusillanimous to a degree.
The Romany RyeGeorge Borrow
The senators seemed to take a pleasure in pusillanimous adulation.
Darkness and DawnFrederic W. Farrar
pusillanimous
- characterized by a lack of courage or determination
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Word Origin
C16: from Late Latin pusillanimis from Latin pusillus weak + animus courage
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for pusillanimous
adj.
early 15c., from Late Latin pusillanimis "having little courage" (used in Church Latin to translate Greek oligopsychos "small-souled"), from Latin pusillis "very weak, little" (diminutive of pullus "young animal;" see foal (n.)) + animus "spirit, courage" (see animus). Related: Pusillanimously; pusillanimousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper