Craven
/ˈkreɪ.vən/noun
An adjective describing someone who is cowardly or timid.
Did you know?In medieval England, to call someone 'craven' was to brand them as a disgrace, often punishable by social ostracism or worse—truly a word of power!
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ger-
“To gather, to enclose, or to creep.”
Old English
Anglo-Saxon
crāwan
“To crawl or creep, often in reference to a fear response.”
Middle English
Middle English
cravain
“Describing someone cowardly; one who creeps away from danger.”
Late Middle English
Middle English
craven
“A term used to denote a coward, especially in terms of a person who yields in fear.”
Modern English
English
craven
“Continued usage as an adjective for cowardice, solidifying its place in the lexicon.”