chicken-hearted

(redirected from chicken-heartedness)

chick·en-heart·ed

(chĭk′ən-här′tĭd)

adj.

Lacking courage; cowardly.

chick′en·heart′ed·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

chicken-hearted

chicken-livered

adj

easily frightened; cowardly

ˌchicken-ˈheartedly adv

ˌchicken-ˈheartedness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

chick′en-heart`ed

adj.

fearful; cowardly.

[1675–85, Amer.]

Translations

chicken-hearted

[ˈtʃɪkɪnˌhɑːtɪd] ADJ → cobarde, gallina

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

chicken

(ˈtʃikin) noun

1. a young bird, especially a young hen. She keeps chickens.

2. its flesh used as food. a plate of fried chicken.

3. (slang.) a coward.

ˌchicken-ˈhearted adjective

cowardly.

ˈchicken-pox noun

an infectious disease with fever and red itchy spots.

chicken out

to avoid doing something because of cowardice. He chickened out at the last minute.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

This chicken-heartedness, as he dubbed it, disgusted Martin, who consequently took a satisfaction in compelling the boy to assist him actively whenever there were cattle to be dehorned, wire rings to be pushed through bunches of pigs' snouts, calves to be delivered by force, young stuff to be castrated or butchering to be done.