pusillanimousadj.

Brit.

/ˌpjuːsᵻˈlanᵻməs/,

/ˌpjuːzᵻˈlanᵻməs/, U.S.

/ˌpjusəˈlænəməs/

Forms: late Middle English pusillanimus, 1500s– pusillanimous, 1600s–1700s pusilanimous.

Origin: Either (i) a borrowing from French. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: French pusillanime ; Latin pusillanimis , -ous suffix.

Etymology: < Middle French pusillanime (French pusillanime ) cowardly, faint-hearted (c1265 in Old French; 1567 of character, conduct, etc.) or its etymon post-classical Latin pusillanimis (Vetus Latina, Vulgate; also pusillanimus (Vulgate); < classical Latin pusillus pusill adj. + animus soul, mind (see animus n.); rendering Hellenistic Greek ὀλιγόψυχος ) + -ous suffix. Compare pusillanime adj., and slightly earlier pusillanimity n.

1. Of a person: lacking in courage or strength of purpose; faint-hearted, craven, cowardly.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [adjective]

arghc885

heartlessOE

bloodlessc1225

coward1297

faintc1300

nesha1382

comfortless1387

pusillanimousa1425

faint-heartedc1440

unheartyc1440

cowardous1480

hen-hearteda1529

cowardish1530

feigningc1540

white-livered1546

cowardly1551

faceless1567

pusillanime1570

liver-hearted1571

cowish1579

cowardise1582

coward-like1587

faint-heart1590

courageless1593

sheep-like1596

white-hearted1598

milky1602

milk-livered1608

undaring1611

lily-livereda1616

yarrow1616

flightful1626

chicken-hearted1629

poltroon1649

cow-hearted1660

whey-blooded1675

unbravea1681

nimble-heeled1719

dunghill1775

shrimp-hearted1796

chicken-livered1804

white-feathered1816

pluckless1821

chicken-spirited1822

milk-blooded1822

cowardy1836

yellow1856

yellow-livered1857

putty-hearted1872

uncourageous1878

chicken1883

piker1901

yellow-bellied1907

manso1932

scaredy-cat1933

chickenshit1940

cold-footed1944

a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 41^v Microticus, pusillanimus.

1586 G. Pettie & B. Yong tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (rev. ed.) iv. f. 194 A scoffe is the reward of shamefast and pusillanimous persons.

1611 W. Vaughan Spirit of Detraction 331 Bragging vaunts of vpstart groomes, only to daunt pusillanimous Meacocks.

1677 S. Speed Prison-pietie 28 See how he trembles at the sight of sin! Whilst thou, lewd actor, longest to begin; And look'st on him as pusillanimous, A Coward, or a Drone.

1701 G. Monro Just Meas. Pious Inst. Youth 183 They will be apt to say, that to traine them up at this rate would be to render them cowardly and pusillanimous.

a1734 R. North Examen (1740) i. iii. §147. 218 In continual Expectation, that..some pusillanimous Wretch..would squeak, as they called it, and own the Guilt.

1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. vii. 4 An indignity, which no prince, how inconsiderable soever or pusillanimous, could tamely endure.

1815 M. Clarke Fair Americans iii. 17 I tell you, neighbour Fairfield, this war is an excellent thing; tis the only expedient we could resort to, to prove that we are not the poor, mean, pusillanimous nation, Europe thinks us.

1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes iii. 173 Nature..remains to the bad, to the selfish and the pusillanimous forever a sealed book.

1910 Evening News (Ada, Okla.) 20 June 1/3 Do not let the plutocratic press, the grafters or pusillanimous politicians deceive you by telling you that I will not be present.

1995 Spectator 28 Jan. 16/3 Fear..fills the breasts of those most pusillanimous of creatures, the politicians of Dail Eireann.

2. Of a quality, action, etc.: resulting from or manifesting a lack of courage or determination.

ΚΠ

?1611 G. Chapman in tr. Homer Iliads i. Comm. Who can deny, that there are teares of manlinesse and magnanimity, as well as womanish and pusillanimous?

1698 W. Chilcot Pract. Treat. Evil Thoughts ix. 241 What..a cowardly, and pusillanimous disowning of his power and goodness!

1767 Adventures Kidnapped Orphan 201 The pusillanimous behaviour of the lieutenant..incurred on him the contempt of the whole corps.

1797 A. Radcliffe Italian III. iii. 103 You are now anxious to form excuses to yourself for a conduct so pusillanimous.

1843 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross II. vii. 204 Nothing looks so pusillanimous..as to see a chap ride bang up to a fence as though he would eat it, and then swerve off for a gate or a gap.

1882 F. W. Farrar Early Days Christianity I. 76 [Nero's] end, perhaps the meanest and most pusillanimous which has ever been recorded.

1912 Times 6 Feb. 12/1 The purely inland golfer may battle successfully through a day or two of high wind by the sea, but at the end of those days..his drive becomes a snatch, his put a pusillanimous push.

1995 Nation (N.Y.) 23 Jan. 90/1 The civil rights division may be hamstrung on this issue by the President's increasingly pusillanimous stance on social issues.

Derivatives

pusiˈllanimously adv.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [adverb]

arghlyc1000

faintly1297

cowardlyc1380

coward-like1587

pusillanimously1602

hen-heartedly1799

turpidly1866

lily-liveredly1929

1602 A. Copley Another Let. to Dis-iesuited Kinseman 8 He so sleightly and pusillanimously ouerskips D. Fishers Treatie of Schisme.

1716 L. Howel Compl. Hist. Holy Bible II. vii. 254 This is the Time to recover our ancient Laws by our Courage, or pusillanimously deliver them up and these poor Remains of our Countrymen to ignominy and slavery.

1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xl. 87 He [sc. John of Cappadocia] pusillanimously fled to the sanctuary of the church.

1813 S. Rowson Sarah xvi. 86 And why, oh! why, was I so pusillanimously weak and tame?

1949 Amer. Q. 1 282/2 Our colleges and universities deal..pusillanimously with its [sc. religion's] place in contemporary society.

2004 Observer (Nexis) 7 Nov. (Review section) 5 Even though he so pusillanimously evaded service in Vietnam, he was able to pass himself off as a stalwart, invincible leader.

pusiˈllanimousness n. = pusillanimity n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [noun]

arghtha1250

arghshipc1275

faintise1297

cowardicec1300

cowardshipc1330

arghness1340

arghhoodc1350

sheepnessc1380

pusillanimitya1393

cowardnessa1400

neshnessa1400

cowardyc1405

lithernessc1425

lashness1477

cowardrya1547

meagreness?1553

cowardliness1556

micropsychy1651

buzzardism1659

stanielry1659

manlessness1667

cow-heartedness1718

pusillanimousness1727

chicken-heartedness1808

infortitude1813

plucklessness1824

white-featherism1843

cold feet1893

yellow1893

liver-heartedness1897

yellowness1909

1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Pusillanimousness, want of Courage.

a1788 T. Sheridan Compl. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1790) II. Pusillanimousness, meanness of spirit.

1889 J. Pearson in Our Day (U.S.) Sept. A veritable pusillanimousness had taken possession of that part of the people that really wanted the law enforced.

1932 Hopewell (New Jersey) Herald 9 Mar. 1/5 The astounding pusillanimousness of the act which has cast an enveloping cloud of sorrow over this town and nation.

2006 New Statesman (Nexis) 27 Mar. In the hypocrisy of our own leaders, their dishonesty and their pusillanimousness, there lies something truly worth opposing.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	pusillanimous
释义	pusillanimousadj. Brit. /ˌpjuːsᵻˈlanᵻməs/, /ˌpjuːzᵻˈlanᵻməs/, U.S. /ˌpjusəˈlænəməs/ Forms: late Middle English pusillanimus, 1500s– pusillanimous, 1600s–1700s pusilanimous. Origin: Either (i) a borrowing from French. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: French pusillanime ; Latin pusillanimis , -ous suffix. Etymology: < Middle French pusillanime (French pusillanime ) cowardly, faint-hearted (c1265 in Old French; 1567 of character, conduct, etc.) or its etymon post-classical Latin pusillanimis (Vetus Latina, Vulgate; also pusillanimus (Vulgate); < classical Latin pusillus pusill adj. + animus soul, mind (see animus n.); rendering Hellenistic Greek ὀλιγόψυχος ) + -ous suffix. Compare pusillanime adj., and slightly earlier pusillanimity n. 1. Of a person: lacking in courage or strength of purpose; faint-hearted, craven, cowardly. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [adjective] arghc885 heartlessOE bloodlessc1225 coward1297 faintc1300 nesha1382 comfortless1387 pusillanimousa1425 faint-heartedc1440 unheartyc1440 cowardous1480 hen-hearteda1529 cowardish1530 feigningc1540 white-livered1546 cowardly1551 faceless1567 pusillanime1570 liver-hearted1571 cowish1579 cowardise1582 coward-like1587 faint-heart1590 courageless1593 sheep-like1596 white-hearted1598 milky1602 milk-livered1608 undaring1611 lily-livereda1616 yarrow1616 flightful1626 chicken-hearted1629 poltroon1649 cow-hearted1660 whey-blooded1675 unbravea1681 nimble-heeled1719 dunghill1775 shrimp-hearted1796 chicken-livered1804 white-feathered1816 pluckless1821 chicken-spirited1822 milk-blooded1822 cowardy1836 yellow1856 yellow-livered1857 putty-hearted1872 uncourageous1878 chicken1883 piker1901 yellow-bellied1907 manso1932 scaredy-cat1933 chickenshit1940 cold-footed1944 a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 41^v Microticus, pusillanimus. 1586 G. Pettie & B. Yong tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (rev. ed.) iv. f. 194 A scoffe is the reward of shamefast and pusillanimous persons. 1611 W. Vaughan Spirit of Detraction 331 Bragging vaunts of vpstart groomes, only to daunt pusillanimous Meacocks. 1677 S. Speed Prison-pietie 28 See how he trembles at the sight of sin! Whilst thou, lewd actor, longest to begin; And look'st on him as pusillanimous, A Coward, or a Drone. 1701 G. Monro Just Meas. Pious Inst. Youth 183 They will be apt to say, that to traine them up at this rate would be to render them cowardly and pusillanimous. a1734 R. North Examen (1740) i. iii. §147. 218 In continual Expectation, that..some pusillanimous Wretch..would squeak, as they called it, and own the Guilt. 1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. vii. 4 An indignity, which no prince, how inconsiderable soever or pusillanimous, could tamely endure. 1815 M. Clarke Fair Americans iii. 17 I tell you, neighbour Fairfield, this war is an excellent thing; tis the only expedient we could resort to, to prove that we are not the poor, mean, pusillanimous nation, Europe thinks us. 1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes iii. 173 Nature..remains to the bad, to the selfish and the pusillanimous forever a sealed book. 1910 Evening News (Ada, Okla.) 20 June 1/3 Do not let the plutocratic press, the grafters or pusillanimous politicians deceive you by telling you that I will not be present. 1995 Spectator 28 Jan. 16/3 Fear..fills the breasts of those most pusillanimous of creatures, the politicians of Dail Eireann. 2. Of a quality, action, etc.: resulting from or manifesting a lack of courage or determination. ΚΠ ?1611 G. Chapman in tr. Homer Iliads i. Comm. Who can deny, that there are teares of manlinesse and magnanimity, as well as womanish and pusillanimous? 1698 W. Chilcot Pract. Treat. Evil Thoughts ix. 241 What..a cowardly, and pusillanimous disowning of his power and goodness! 1767 Adventures Kidnapped Orphan 201 The pusillanimous behaviour of the lieutenant..incurred on him the contempt of the whole corps. 1797 A. Radcliffe Italian III. iii. 103 You are now anxious to form excuses to yourself for a conduct so pusillanimous. 1843 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross II. vii. 204 Nothing looks so pusillanimous..as to see a chap ride bang up to a fence as though he would eat it, and then swerve off for a gate or a gap. 1882 F. W. Farrar Early Days Christianity I. 76 [Nero's] end, perhaps the meanest and most pusillanimous which has ever been recorded. 1912 Times 6 Feb. 12/1 The purely inland golfer may battle successfully through a day or two of high wind by the sea, but at the end of those days..his drive becomes a snatch, his put a pusillanimous push. 1995 Nation (N.Y.) 23 Jan. 90/1 The civil rights division may be hamstrung on this issue by the President's increasingly pusillanimous stance on social issues. Derivatives pusiˈllanimously adv. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [adverb] arghlyc1000 faintly1297 cowardlyc1380 coward-like1587 pusillanimously1602 hen-heartedly1799 turpidly1866 lily-liveredly1929 1602 A. Copley Another Let. to Dis-iesuited Kinseman 8 He so sleightly and pusillanimously ouerskips D. Fishers Treatie of Schisme. 1716 L. Howel Compl. Hist. Holy Bible II. vii. 254 This is the Time to recover our ancient Laws by our Courage, or pusillanimously deliver them up and these poor Remains of our Countrymen to ignominy and slavery. 1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xl. 87 He [sc. John of Cappadocia] pusillanimously fled to the sanctuary of the church. 1813 S. Rowson Sarah xvi. 86 And why, oh! why, was I so pusillanimously weak and tame? 1949 Amer. Q. 1 282/2 Our colleges and universities deal..pusillanimously with its [sc. religion's] place in contemporary society. 2004 Observer (Nexis) 7 Nov. (Review section) 5 Even though he so pusillanimously evaded service in Vietnam, he was able to pass himself off as a stalwart, invincible leader. pusiˈllanimousness n. = pusillanimity n. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [noun] arghtha1250 arghshipc1275 faintise1297 cowardicec1300 cowardshipc1330 arghness1340 arghhoodc1350 sheepnessc1380 pusillanimitya1393 cowardnessa1400 neshnessa1400 cowardyc1405 lithernessc1425 lashness1477 cowardrya1547 meagreness?1553 cowardliness1556 micropsychy1651 buzzardism1659 stanielry1659 manlessness1667 cow-heartedness1718 pusillanimousness1727 chicken-heartedness1808 infortitude1813 plucklessness1824 white-featherism1843 cold feet1893 yellow1893 liver-heartedness1897 yellowness1909 1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Pusillanimousness, want of Courage. a1788 T. Sheridan Compl. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1790) II. Pusillanimousness, meanness of spirit. 1889 J. Pearson in Our Day (U.S.) Sept. A veritable pusillanimousness had taken possession of that part of the people that really wanted the law enforced. 1932 Hopewell (New Jersey) Herald 9 Mar. 1/5 The astounding pusillanimousness of the act which has cast an enveloping cloud of sorrow over this town and nation. 2006 New Statesman (Nexis) 27 Mar. In the hypocrisy of our own leaders, their dishonesty and their pusillanimousness, there lies something truly worth opposing. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.a1425
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