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recreant

rec·reant

UK/ˈɹɛkɹɪənt/ US/ˈɹɛkɹiənt/ uncommon archaic literary
noun (2) adjective (2)

noun

1.
2.

adjective

1.

having deserted a cause or principle

  • “some provinces had proved recreant”
  • “renegade supporters of the usurper”
Synonyms
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2.

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
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English recreaunt, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French recreant (“defeated”), from recroire (“to yield in a trial by combat, surrender allegiance”). Compare miscreant.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.