■ adjective contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.
■ noun archaic a cowardly person.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
ME cravant 'defeated', perh. via Anglo-Norman Fr. from OFr. cravanter 'crush, overwhelm', based on L. crepare 'burst'.
■ adjective contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.
■ noun archaic a cowardly person.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
ME cravant 'defeated', perh. via Anglo-Norman Fr. from OFr. cravanter 'crush, overwhelm', based on L. crepare 'burst'.
Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004