Poltroon

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɒlˈtɹuːn/

Definitions

1. A cowardly person who lacks courage and refuses to face danger or difficulty
2. a person of contemptible cowardice who shrinks from any confrontation or peril
3. someone displaying shameful lack of bravery and unwilling to meet challenges head-on

Etymology: A poltroon is a coward, and the word carries with it a long journey through European languages, each stage adding a layer of contempt. The term entered English in the 16th century, borrowed from the French "poltron," which had been in use since at least the 15th century. The French word itself came from Italian "poltrone," originally meaning a man who shirked his duties, particularly in a military context. The Italian root is less certain, but scholars have proposed a connection to "poltrire," meaning to lounge or idle, possibly derived from "poltiglia" (a soft pulp or paste), suggesting the image of someone soft, weak, or lacking backbone. The semantic journey of the word reflects evolving attitudes toward cowardice across medieval and Renaissance Europe. In Italian, the term may have originally referred to someone who spent time lounging in bed or avoiding exertion—a shirker in the most literal sense. As it passed into French, it became specifically associated with military cowardice and dereliction of duty, a serious moral failing in feudal and early modern societies. The word carried a sharp edge of social shame, marking a man as unfit for the honorable role of a soldier or nobleman. When English borrowed "poltroon" in the 16th century, it retained this military and moral dimension. The word appears in English literature of the period as a term of serious insult, applied to those who fled battle or showed craven behavior. Over time, the meaning broadened from specifically military cowardice to any form of extreme fearfulness or lack of courage. By the 17th and 18th centuries, "poltroon" had become a general term of contempt for a cowardly person, no longer tied exclusively to the battlefield. The word has remained remarkably stable in form and meaning since its adoption into English, though it is now somewhat archaic or literary in tone. Unlike many other insults that have softened or fallen out of use, "poltroon" retains its full force of contempt when employed, perhaps because it names a vice—cowardice—that has remained consistently reviled across centuries. The word's relative rarity in modern English gives it a weight and formality that more common synonyms lack.

Synonyms: coward, craven, weakling, timid person

Antonyms: hero, brave, courageous person