We explain what it means to be a coward, the origin of the term, and why it has been considered a defect throughout history.
What does it mean to be a coward?
When we talk about cowardice or accuse someone of being a coward, we generally refer to a lack of courage and bravery in facing a difficult or challenging situation. In other words, a coward is someone who gives up in difficult situations or refuses to face the consequences of their actions. Similarly, actions carried out in a deceitful, treacherous manner can also be classified as cowardly.
The word cowardice comes from the French couard, a modern version of the medieval word coart, which refers to the tail (coue). The latter is due to the fact that dogs and wolves tuck their tails between their legs to indicate fear or submission, and because cowards, when escaping confrontation, turn their backs (i.e., “show their tail”). You must read about Suffrage once.
Since ancient times, cowardice has been considered a defect, contrary to the heroic spirit and courage traditionally associated with manliness and honor. Many proverbs condemn cowards to “die a thousand deaths” (compared to the single death of the brave), and in traditional iconography, they are associated with skittish animals such as the rabbit, or with the ostrich that buries its head in the ground.
Even in his literary description of Hell, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) places cowards alongside the faint-hearted and the negligent in the “ante-inferno,” the chamber before Hell, where they suffer eternally for not knowing how to choose a side, either good or evil. Dante christens these poor sinners as the Ignavians.
Today, this term is more closely associated with ethical and moral positions, or even affective ones, than with ancient visions of honor (which were usually resolved in duels to the death). Lovers incapable of facing the truth of their feelings, or those who cannot face conflict and prefer to leave “things as they are,” even though they could have resolved them in their favor, are branded as cowards.
In this way, cowardice is associated with a lack of backbone and self-respect, rather than with a lack of heroism. It differs from fear in that it is a fundamental attitude: it is possible to feel fear and still face it, while a coward always prefers to flee. In other words, a coward is afraid of fear. Maybe you should definitely read about UNESCO once.
References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- “Cowardice” on Wikipedia.
- “Coward” in the Dictionary of the Spanish Language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Coward” on Etymologies of Chile.net.
- “The Opportunity to Stop Being a Coward” by Eduardo Infante in El Día (Spain).
