dastardize means to make cowardly; to intimidate or weaken the spirits of. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “dastardize” is a great word
DASTARDIZE — [Verb] To instill a lasting quality of cowardice; to systematically weaken or corrupt the spirit into a state of abject timidity. From dastard (a coward, of uncertain origin) + the verbal suffix -ize. Unlike "daunt," which suggests a temporary loss of courage, or "intimidate," which implies coercion toward a specific compliance, to dastardize is to perform a slow, moral alchemy on the soul. It is the corrosive drip of daily ridicule that hollows out a child’s resolve, the systematic breaking of a spirited horse until it shies at its own shadow, or the insidious policy that teaches a people to look away from injustice—the quiet violence of making a soul its own jailer.
Etymology
From dastard + -ize.
verb
- To make cowardly; to intimidate or weaken the spirits of.“dastardize my courage”