cowardice
noun /ˈkaʊədɪs/
/ˈkaʊərdɪs/
[uncountable] (disapproving)- fear or lack of courage opposite bravery, courage
- The lieutenant had displayed cowardice in the face of the enemy.
- It is an act of moral cowardice for a society to neglect its poor.
- She was ashamed of her cowardice.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- moral
- political
- show
- accuse somebody of
- an act of cowardice
- cowardice in the face of the enemy
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French couardise, from couard, based on Latin cauda ‘tail’, possibly with reference to a frightened animal with its tail between its legs.