poltroonery means cowardice; lack of spirit; pusillanimity. It carries an Arena rating of 1484, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, poltroonery ranks #1,790 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,408 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #3,475 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,806 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “poltroonery” is a great word
Utter cowardice or a contemptible lack of courage and spirit, from the English noun 'poltroon', which entered English circa 1529 from Middle French 'poltron', itself from Italian 'poltrone' (idler, coward), possibly from 'poltro' (bed), implying one who lounges in bed to avoid duty. Unlike 'timidity', which suggests a natural shyness, or 'prudence', which implies wise caution, poltroonery is a deliberate, shameful abdication of honor. It is the officer feigning illness as his regiment marches, the citizen drawing curtains against the cries in the street, the body yielding to the warm hollow of sheets when duty demands backbone—a vacancy where courage should be, a quiet, shameful ease of surrender.
Etymology
From poltroon + -ery.
noun
- Cowardice; lack of spirit; pusillanimity.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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