RECREANT

craven, recreant

(adjective) lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; “the craven fellow turned and ran”; “a craven proposal to raise the white flag”; “this recreant knight”- Spenser

recreant, renegade

(adjective) having deserted a cause or principle; “some provinces had proved recreant”; “renegade supporters of the usurper”

deserter, apostate, renegade, turncoat, recreant, ratter

(noun) a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.

poltroon, craven, recreant

(noun) an abject coward

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Adjective

recreant (comparative more recreant, superlative most recreant)

(now rare, poetic) Having admitted defeat and surrendered; defeated. [from 13th c.]

(now poetic, literary) Unfaithful to someone, or to one's duties or honour; disloyal, false. [from 17th c.]

Noun

recreant (plural recreants)

Somebody who is recreant, who yields in combat; a coward or traitor.

Synonyms

• apostate

• coward

• deserter

• poltroon

• renegade

• turncoat

Anagrams

• Terrance, recanter

Source: Wiktionary

---

Rec"re*ant (-ant), a. Etym: [OF., cowardly, fr. recroire, recreire, to forsake, leave, tire, discourage, regard as conquered, LL. recredere se to declare one's self conquered in combat; hence, those are called recrediti or recreanti who are considered infamous; L. pref. re- again, back + credere to believe, to be of opinion; hence, originally, to disavow one's opinion. See Creed.]

1. Crying for mercy, as a combatant in the trial by battle; yielding; cowardly; mean-spirited; craven. "This recreant knight." Spenser.

2. Apostate; false; unfaithful. Who, for so many benefits received, Turned recreant to God, ingrate and false. Milton.

Rec"re*ant, n.

Definition: One who yields in combat, and begs for mercy; a mean-spirited, cowardly wretch. Blackstone. You are all recreants and dastards! Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---