- dastard
- noun Etymology: Middle English Date: 15th century 1. coward 2. a person who acts treacherously or underhandedly
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
dastard
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Dastard — Das tard, a. Meanly shrinking from danger; cowardly; dastardly. Their dastard souls. Addison. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Dastard — Das tard (d[a^]s t[ e]rd), n. [Prob. from Icel. d[ae]str exhausted. breathless, p. p. of d[ae]sa to groan, lose one s breath; cf. dasask to become exhausted, and E. daze.] One who meanly shrinks from danger; an arrant coward; a poltroon. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Dastard — Das tard, v. t. To dastardize. [R.] Dryden. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
dastard — mid 15c., one who is lazy or dull; an English formation on a French model, probably from *dast, dazed, pp. of dasen to daze + (see DAZE (Cf. daze)) + deprecatory suffix ARD (Cf. ard). Meaning one who shirks from danger is late 15c … Etymology dictionary
dastard — [das′tərd] n. [ME, a craven, prob. < Scand base, as in ON dasast, to become exhausted (see DAZE) + ME ard, ARD] a sneaky, cowardly evildoer … English World dictionary
dastard — /das teuhrd/, n. 1. a mean, sneaking coward. adj. 2. of or befitting a dastard; mean, sneaky, and cowardly. [1400 50; late ME < ?.] * * * … Universalium
dastard — 1. noun /ˈdæstəd,ˈdæstɚd/ A malicious coward. 2. adjective /ˈdæstəd,ˈdæstɚd/ meanly shrinking from danger, cowardly, dastardly Observe, too, that this is all a modern affair; belongs not to th … Wiktionary
dastard — I noun a despicable coward • Derivationally related forms: ↑dastardly • Hypernyms: ↑coward II adjective despicably cowardly the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on...December 7th F.D. Roosevelt … Useful english dictionary
dastard plover — Lapwing Lap wing , n. [OE. lapwynke, leepwynke, AS. hle[ a]pewince; hle[ a]pan to leap, jump + (prob.) a word akin to AS. wincian to wink, E. wink, AS. wancol wavering; cf. G. wanken to stagger, waver. See {Leap}, and {Wink}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A small… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
dastard — (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun An ignoble, uncourageous person: coward, craven, funk, poltroon. Slang: chicken, yellow belly. See FEAR … English dictionary for students
