Pusillanimously

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Characterized by a lack of courage or determination, displaying timid behavior, or being cowardly in the face of challenges
2. Exhibiting a spirit of fearfulness, showing a reluctance to take risks, and being overly submissive in demanding situations
3. Demonstrating an absence of bravery, adopting a meek posture, and shrinking from confrontational circumstances

Etymology: "Pusillanimously" is simply "pusillanimous" with the adverb ending "-ly" attached. The adjective "pusillanimous" comes from Late Latin "pusillanimis," built from "pusillus" ("very small, feeble") and "animus" ("mind, spirit"), so it literally describes a small or feeble spirit. The Latin pair was itself a classical compound, which is why the word reads so transparently to anyone who knows Latin. The "-ly" ending has a long pedigree of its own. It descends from Old English "-līċe," which was a suffix used to turn adjectives into adverbs, and it traces back through Proto-Germanic to a root meaning "body" or "form," so that "-ly" once carried the sense of "in the manner of" a given quality. Over the Middle English period "-līċe" wore down to "-ly," and English speakers have attached it freely to adjectives ever since.

Synonyms: timidly, cowardly, fearfully, meekly, submissively

Antonyms: bravely, courageously, fearlessly, boldly, confidently