Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Unfaithful or disloyal to a belief, duty, or cause.
- adjective Archaic Craven or cowardly.
- noun A faithless or disloyal person.
- noun Archaic A coward.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Ready to yield in fight; acknowledging defeat; hence, craven; cowardly. Compare
craven . - Unfaithful to duty; betraying trust.
- noun One who yields in combat and cries craven; one who begs for mercy; hence, a meanspirited, cowardly, or unfaithful wretch.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Crying for mercy, as a combatant in the trial by battle; yielding; cowardly; mean-spirited; craven.
- adjective Apostate; false; unfaithful.
- noun One who yields in combat, and begs for mercy; a mean-spirited, cowardly wretch.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
disloyal ,unfaithful ,surrendering allegiance . - adjective
cowardly ,craven - noun Somebody who is recreant. A person who yields in combat, or is cowardly and faint-hearted.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an abject coward
- noun a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.
- adjective having deserted a cause or principle
- adjective lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He whom thou hast called recreant knight, has been Saxon host.
Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings — Complete Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton 1838
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He whom thou hast called recreant knight, has been Saxon host.
Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings — Volume 12 Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton 1838
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a 'recreant' -- just what needs the slight punishment of instant death to the remarker -- and ... where is the way?
The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 Robert Browning 1850
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A Spanish soldier is represented dragging a fugitive Indian from a lake by a lasso around his neck; while on the shore stands a monk ready to baptize the recreant on his arrival!” [
Nagualism A Study in Native American Folk-lore and History Daniel Garrison Brinton 1868
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"recreant," had he wavered when the descendant of Mary Stuart claimed his services.
Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745 Volume II. Mrs. Thomson
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“The last innocent has suffered at your hands, recreant,” grimly intoned THE WRAITH.
Masked Lou Anders 2010
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If her conduct was forward, well, her connubial expectations had been dashed by the recreant Popplewell, and the arrival of Flashy with whiskers rampant must have seemed like the answer to a randy young matron's prayer.
THE NUMBERS 2010
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Could he be blamed as recreant if he had helped his unexpected ally to break out and return to his prince?
His Disposition 2010
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A mosaic of images depicting your chronic laziness, unearned ego, and recreant cruelty.
Mare 2010
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“The last innocent has suffered at your hands, recreant,” grimly intoned THE WRAITH.
Masked Lou Anders 2010
bilby commented on the word recreant
"We must find
An evident calamity, though we had
Our wish, which side should win; for either thou
Must, as a foreign recreant, be led
With manacles through our streets, or else
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin..."
- William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'.
August 29, 2009
milosrdenstvi commented on the word recreant
LEAR
Hear me, recreant, on thine allegiance, hear me;
Since thou hast sought to make us break our vow,
Which we durst never yet, and with strained pride
To come between our sentence and our power,
Which nor our nature nor our place can bear,
Our potency made good, take thy reward.
- King Lear
September 29, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word recreant
Not many English words end in -creant.... e.g. miscreant - any others to suggest or list?
September 29, 2009