poltroonery

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word poltroonery. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word poltroonery, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say poltroonery in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word poltroonery you have here. The definition of the word poltroonery will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofpoltroonery, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

From poltroon +‎ -ery.

Noun

poltroonery (countable and uncountable, plural poltrooneries)

  1. Cowardice; lack of spirit; pusillanimity.
    • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. IX, Abbot Samson”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk):
      Genius, Poet: do we know what these words mean? [] Nature’s own sacred voice heard once more athwart the dreary boundless element of hearsaying and canting, of twaddle and poltroonery, in which the bewildered Earth, nigh perishing, has lost its way.
    • 1952, C. S. Lewis, chapter 12, in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Collins, published 1998:
      “Your Majesty, your Majesty,” he said, “are you going to tolerate this mutiny, this poltroonery? This is a panic, this is a rout.”

References