Other forms: cowards
A coward is somebody who has too little courage to face danger, and is despised for it. Call him a coward, a moral coward, coward's way out.
The contempt is part of the word, which is why it is an accusation rather than a description — fear is universal and cowardice is a judgement about acting on it. Note that the word comes from the French for a tail, from an animal turning tail to run; it has nothing to do with cower.
1nouncowardSomebody with too little courage to face danger.
“He called me a coward because I wouldn't jump off the high rocks into the sea.”
coward is a person lacking courage.
Old French coart comes from coue, a tail, from Latin cauda — from an animal turning tail. It is unrelated to cower.
Proto-Indo-European
*kewh₂-
Latin
cauda
Old French
coart
Middle English
coward
English, today
coward
Built from
From Middle English coward, from Old French coart, cuard (> French couard), from coue (“tail”), coe + -ard; coue, coe is in turn from Latin cauda. The reference seems to be to an animal "turning tail", or having its tail between its legs, especially a dog. Compare the expression tail between one's legs. Displaced native earg (surviving in northern dialect English argh). Unrelated to cower, which is of Germanic origin.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA