This week’s theme
Words using only one of the vowels

This week’s words
parastatal
defervescence
imprimis
poltroon
tumulus

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(pol-TROON)

MEANING:

noun: An utter coward.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French poltron (coward), from Italian poltrone (lazy person), from Latin pullus (young animal). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pau- (few, little), which is also the source of few, foal, filly, pony, poor, pauper, poco, and catchpole. Earliest documented use: 1529.

USAGE:

“Against this backdrop, Bertuccelli offers a derisive portrait of officialdom. Administrators and doctors come across as poltroons.”
Richard Duckett; ‘Since Otar Left’ is Slow But Intriguing; Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts); Dec 9, 2004.

See more usage examples of poltroon in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: