I. ˈkrāvən adjective
Etymology: alteration of Middle English cravant, perhaps from Old French crevant, present participle of crever to burst, cause to burst, from Latin crepare to crack, creak, break — more at raven
1. : defeated, vanquished — used in the phrase to cry craven acknowledging defeat
2. : lacking even the rudiments of courage : characterized by abject defeatism : contemptibly fainthearted
a craven proposal for putting up the white flag — F.L.Allen
Synonyms: see cowardly
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an avowed coward : a weakhearted person
2. : a cock that lacks courage or shows little or no inclination to fight
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
archaic : to make cowardly or timid