Middle English: from Old French couard, based on Latin cauda 'tail', possibly with reference to a frightened animal with its tail between its legs, reflected in sense 2 of the adjective (early 16th century).

• The Latin word cauda ‘tail’ is the source of coward. This may be from the idea of a frightened animal drawing its tail between its legs or ‘turning tail’ in flight. In heraldry lion coward is the term for a lion depicted with its tail drawn between its hind legs. Despite the similarity in spelling and meaning, the verb cower (Middle English) has a completely different origin, coming from German kūren ‘lie in wait’.