Cowardice is a lack of courage when courage is needed. Accused of cowardice, sheer cowardice, an act of cowardice.
The when is the whole word — nobody is a coward for avoiding danger there is no reason to face. Cowardice in the face of the enemy was a capital offence in most armies, and many of those shot were suffering what would now be diagnosed as shell shock.
1nouncowardiceA lack of courage when courage is needed.
“He was ashamed of his cowardice when he ran away and left his friend.”
cowardice is a failing.
Old French cuardise comes from cuard, a coward, from coe, a tail — from the image of an animal turning tail.
Anglo-Norman
cuardise
Middle English
cowardise
English, today
cowardice
From Middle English cowardise, borrowed from Anglo-Norman cuardise (modern French couardise).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA