recreant
pronunciation
How to pronounce recreant in British English:
UK [ˈrekriənt]
How to pronounce recreant in American English:
US [ˈrɛkriənt]
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- Noun:
- an abject coward
- a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.
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- Adjective:
- having deserted a cause or principle
- lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
Word Origin
- recreant (adj.)
- c. 1300, "confessing oneself to be overcome or vanquished," from Old French recreant "defeated, vanquished, yielding, giving; weak, exhausted; cowardly," present participle adjective from recroire "to yield in a trial by combat, surrender allegiance," literally "believe again;" perhaps on notion of "take back one's pledge, yield one's cause," from re- "again, back" (see re-) + croire "entrust, believe," from Latin credere (see credo).Non sufficit ... nisi dicat illud verbum odiosum, quod recreantus sit. [Bracton, c. 1260]Meaning "cowardly" in English is from late 14c. Meaning "unfaithful to duty" is from 1640s.
- recreant (n.)
- "one who yields in combat, one who begs for mercy, one who admits defeat," early 15c., hence "coward, faint-hearted wretch;" from recreant (adj.) and from Old French recreant as a noun, "one who acknowledges defeat, a craven, coward, renegade, traitor, wretch." In English, sense of "apostate, deserter, villain" is from 1560s.
Example
- 1. Yet the recreant but amorous age has passed .
- 2. Then gemma , the girl arthur loved , mistook arthurfor the recreant .
- 3. I of recreant be afraid of getting into trouble myself also dare be not done again confuse your software , somebody suggests I change download station into forum at that time , will upload by him user !
- 4. The craven fellow turned and ran ; a craven proposal to raise the white flag ; this recreant knight - spenser .