Where does “coward” come from?
Coward comes from Middle English coward, from Old French cuard, from Latin cauda meaning tail, from Proto-Italic kaudā, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂u-d-eh₂, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂w-.
coward (English): A person who lacks courage; Cowardly; Borne in...
Definitions
- A person who lacks courage; Cowardly; Borne in...
Ancestry of “coward”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | coward | — |
| 2 | Old French | coart | a coward; cowardly |
| 3 | Old French | -ard | pejorative agent noun |
| 4 | Frankish | -hard | hardy, bold |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | harduz | hard; brave |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kert- | times; to weave, twist together; time |
| 7 | Proto-Turkic | *keŕ- | — |
Words derived from “coward”