adj
Meaning 1
Cowardly, lacking courage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
lily-livered
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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adjective satellite
Meaning 2
easily frightened
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: chicken, chickenhearted, white-livered, yellow, yellow-bellied
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
The first known uses of lily-livered are in William Shakespeare’s works written c. 1603–1606; see quotations below. From the medieval belief that the liver was the seat of courage, and the pale color of the lily flower. A person who had no blood in their liver would have no courage and would thus be a coward. Equivalent to lily + livered.
Across languages
Translations
7 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: страхлив (strahliv) — cowardly — see also cowardly
- Bulgarian: малодушен (malodušen) — cowardly — see also cowardly
- Dutch: laf — cowardly — see also cowardly
- Dutch: lafhartig — cowardly — see also cowardly
- French: poltron — cowardly — see also cowardly
- Russian: трусли́вый (truslívyj) — cowardly — see also cowardly
- Ukrainian: боягу́зливий (bojahúzlyvyj) — cowardly — see also cowardly