Recreant

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛkɹɪənt/

Definitions

1. A person who is disloyal, cowardly, or unfaithful to a cause, duty, or oath
2. One who shows cowardice or betrayal towards a commitment, being unfaithful or lacking courage in difficult situations
3. An individual who demonstrates treachery or timidity in adhering to principles, often failing to uphold duties or pledges

Etymology: The word's most striking history lies in the battlefield. In medieval trial by combat, a knight who was defeated and cried out for mercy, admitting he could not continue, was said to "recroire", to yield or surrender. The French "recreant" meant "defeated" or "yielding," and a knight who gave up in this way was branded as disloyal to his oath and his lord. That sense of surrender carried into English as "recreaunt" in Middle English, and the moral charge came with it. The defeated knight was not merely beaten but faithless, and so the word came to describe anyone who abandons a cause or runs from a fight. Its close relative "miscreant," which shares the same ancestry, followed a similar path toward a sense of wrongdoing.

Synonyms: cowardly, craven, timid, fearful, unfaithful

Antonyms: brave, courageous, valiant, heroic, faithful