Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Pusillanimous — Pu sil*lan i*mous, a. [L. pusillanimis; pusillus very little (dim. of pusus a little boy; cf. puer a boy, E. puerile) + animus the mind: cf. F. pusillanime. See {Animosity}.] 1. Destitute of a manly or courageous strength and firmness of mind; of … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pusillanimous — index caitiff, recreant Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
pusillanimous — late 14c. (implied in pusillanimity), from L.L. pusillanimis having little courage (used in Church L. to translate Gk. oligopsychos small souled ), from L. pusillis very weak, little (dim. of pullus young animal; see FOAL (Cf. foal) (n.)) +… … Etymology dictionary
pusillanimous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ lacking courage; timid. DERIVATIVES pusillanimity noun. ORIGIN from Latin pusillus very small + animus mind … English terms dictionary
pusillanimous — [pyo͞o΄si lan′ə məs] adj. [LL(Ec) pusillanimis < L pusillus, tiny (dim. of pusus, little boy, akin to puer: see PUERILE) + animus, the mind (see ANIMAL) + OUS] 1. timid, cowardly, or irresolute; fainthearted 2. proceeding from or showing a… … English World dictionary
pusillanimous — [[t]pju͟ːsɪlæ̱nɪməs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you say that someone is pusillanimous, you mean that they are timid or afraid. [FORMAL] The authorities have been too pusillanimous in merely condemning the violence. Syn: cowardly Ant: brave … English dictionary
pusillanimous — adjective /pjuːsɪlˈænɪmʊs,pjuːsəlˈænəmʊs/ Showing ignoble cowardice, or contemptible timidity The soldier deserted his troop in a pusillanimous manner. See Also: pusillanimously, pusillanimousness … Wiktionary
pusillanimous — [16] Pusillanimous means etymologically ‘tiny spirited’. It comes from late Latin pūsillanimis, a compound adjective formed from pūsillus ‘very small or weak’ (a descendant of the same base as produced Latin puer ‘child, boy’, source of English… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
pusillanimous — adjective with the tough issues facing this city, the last thing we need is another pusillanimous mayor Syn: timid, timorous, cowardly, fearful, faint hearted, lily livered, spineless, craven, shrinking; informal chicken, gutless, wimpy, wimpish … Thesaurus of popular words
pusillanimous — adjective Etymology: Late Latin pusillanimis, from Latin pusillus very small (diminutive of pusus boy) + animus spirit; perhaps akin to Latin puer child more at puerile, animate Date: 1586 lacking courage and resolution ; marked by contemptible… … New Collegiate Dictionary
