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Cowardly; fainthearted; spiritless. "His craven heart." Shak. The poor craven bridegroom said never a word. Sir. W. Scott. In craven fear of the sarcasm of Dorset. Macualay.

stop up; to close; to restrain. The strait pass was dammed With dead men hurt behind, and cowards. Shak. To dam out, to keep out by means of a dam.

One who meanly shrinks from danger; an arrant coward; a poltroon. You are all recreants and dashtards, and delight to live in slavery to the nobility. Shak.

To make cowardly; to intimidate; to dispirit; as, to dastardize my courage. Dryden.

The quality of being dastardly; cowardice; base fear.

Meanly timid; cowardly; base; as, a dastardly outrage.

Base timidity; cowardliness.

l; fate; lot; doom. Thither he Will come to know his destiny. Shak. No man of woman born, Coward or brave, can shun his destiny. Bryant.

Lack of courage; cowardliness.

to dignify. "Ennobling all that he touches." Trench. What can ennoble sots, or slaves, or cowards Alas! not all the blood of all the Howards. Pope.

re or alloy of anything; unqualified; morally whole; pure; faithful. Pure fear and entire cowardice. Shak. No man had ever a heart more entire to the king. Clarendon.

Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." Old Proverb.

Wanting in courage; depressed by fear; easily discouraged or frightened; cowardly; timorous; dejected. Fear not, neither be faint-hearted. Is. vii. 4. -- Faint"*heart`ed*ly, adv. -- Faint"*heart`ed*ness, n.

To make one's self the father of; to beget. Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base. Shak.

ows. (b) To make one's self conspicuous.[Colloq.] -- To show the white feather, to betray cowardice, -- a white feather in the tail of a cock being considered an indication that he is not of the true game breed.

To run away, as from danger or evil; to avoid in an alarmed or cowardly manner; to hasten off; -- usually with from. This is sometimes omitted, making the verb transitive. [He] cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke. Shak. Flee fornication. 1 Cor. vi. 18. So fled his enemies my warlike father. Shak.…

mmed milk. [Obs.] Fleeten face, a face of the color of fleeten, i. e., blanched; hence, a coward. "You know where you are, you fleeten face." Beau. & Fl.

To run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an enemy or a coward flies. See Note under Flee. Fly, ere evil intercept thy flight. Milton. Whither shall I fly to escape their hands Shak.

to funk at the edge of a precipice. [Colloq.] C. Kingsley. To funk out, to back out in a cowardly fashion. [Colloq.] To funk right out o' political strife. Lowell (Biglow Papers).

Hardihood; boldness; firmness; assurance. Spenser. Plenty and peace breeds cowards; Hardness ever Of hardiness is mother. Shak. They who were not yet grown to the hardiness of avowing the contempt of the king. Clarendon.