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Coward redirects here. For other meanings including as a surname, see coward (disambiguation)
Coward (disambiguation)

Coward can mean*Someone lacking in courage: see cowardice...
.
Cowardice describes a personality trait which is typically viewed as a negative characteristic and has been generally frowned upon (see norms
Norm (sociology)

A Social norm is the sociology term for the behavioral expectations and cues within a society or group. They have been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors....
) within most, if not all global cultures, while courage
Courage

Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity, and fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, Risk, uncertainty, or intimidation....
 - typically viewed as its direct opposite - is generally rewarded and encouraged.

It is difficult to define outside of specific social contexts.






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Encyclopedia


Coward redirects here. For other meanings including as a surname, see coward (disambiguation)
Coward (disambiguation)

Coward can mean*Someone lacking in courage: see cowardice...
.
Cowardice describes a personality trait which is typically viewed as a negative characteristic and has been generally frowned upon (see norms
Norm (sociology)

A Social norm is the sociology term for the behavioral expectations and cues within a society or group. They have been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors....
) within most, if not all global cultures, while courage
Courage

Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity, and fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, Risk, uncertainty, or intimidation....
 - typically viewed as its direct opposite - is generally rewarded and encouraged.

It is difficult to define outside of specific social contexts. In general terms, it is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient bravery in the face of an adverse situation. Cowards are usually seen to have avoided or refused to engage in a confrontation or struggle which has been deemed good
Good

Good or goods may refer to:* as an adjective** expressing usefulness ** expressing expertise ** expressing morality or altruism * as an uncountable noun...
 or righteous by the wider culture in which they live.

On a more mundane level, the label may be applied to those who are regarded as too frightened
Fear

Fear is an emotional response to threats and danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of pain....
 to defend their rights or those of others from aggressors
Aggression

In psychology, as well as other social science and behavioral sciences, aggression refers to behavior between members of the same species that is intended to cause pain or harm....
 in their lives.

Military Law

Acts of cowardice have long been punishable by military law, which defines a wide range of cowardly offenses including desertion in face of the enemy and surrendering to the enemy against orders. The punishment for such acts is typically severe, ranging from corporal punishment
Corporal punishment

Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain intended to punish a person or change his/her behavior. Historically speaking, most forms of punishment, whether in judicial, domestic, or educational settings, were corporal in basis....
 to the death sentence
Death Sentence

"Death Sentence" is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov....
. Cowardly conduct is specifically mentioned within the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice

The Uniform Code of Military Justice is the foundation of military law in the United States. The UCMJ applies to all members of the Uniformed services of the United States: the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administratio...
.

Etymology

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary
Online Etymology Dictionary

The Online Etymology Dictionary is a dictionary that describes the etymology English language words. The abbreviation, OED , coincides with the frequently used acronym for the Oxford English Dictionary, a coincidence unlikely to be lost on etymologists....
, the word "coward" comes from an Old French
Old French

Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
 word coart (modern French ), a combination of the word for "tail" and an agent noun
Noun

In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open class lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition....
 suffix
Suffix

In grammar, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the grammatical conjugation of verbs....
. It would therefore have meant "one with a tail" — perhaps one in the habit of turning it, or it may be derived from the dog
Dog

The dog is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties....
's habit of putting its tail between its legs when it is afraid. It is possible that the English language was enriched in such manner through military contacts with the French, or with the French-speaking Normans
Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock....
 that conquered England in 1066.

The English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 surname
Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases a surname is a family name; the family-name meaning first appeared in 1375....
 Coward (as in Noel Coward
Noël Coward

Sir No?l Peirce Coward was an English people playwright, composer, Theatre director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise"....
), however, has the same origin and meaning as the word "cowherd".

See also

  • Fear
    Fear

    Fear is an emotional response to threats and danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of pain....
  • Anxiety
    Anxiety

    Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry....
  • Virtue
    Virtue

    Virtue is morality excellence. Personal virtues are characteristics Value as promoting individual and collective well-being, and thus Goodness and value theory by definition....
  • Courage
    Courage

    Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity, and fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, Risk, uncertainty, or intimidation....