Craven,

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Craven \Cra"ven\ (kr?"v'n), a. [OE. cravant, cravaunde, OF.
     cravant? struck down, p. p. of cravanter, crevanter, to
     break, crush, strike down, fr. an assumed LL. crepantare, fr.
     L. crepans, p. pr. of crepare to break, crack, rattle. Cf.
     {Crevice}, {Crepitate}.]
     Cowardly; fainthearted; spiritless. "His craven heart."


     --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The poor craven bridegroom said never a word. --Sir. W.
                                                    Scott.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           In craven fear of the sarcasm of Dorset. --Macaulay.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Craven \Cra"ven\, n. [Formerly written also cravant and
     cravent.]
     A recreant; a coward; a weak-hearted, spiritless fellow. See
     {Recreant}, n.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           King Henry. Is it fit this soldier keep his oath?
           Fluellen. He is a craven and a villain else. --Shak.
  
     Syn: Coward; poltroon; dastard.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Craven \Cra"ven\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cravened} (-v'nd); p. pr.
     & vb. n. {Cravening}.]
     To make recreant, weak, spiritless, or cowardly. [Obs.]
     [1913 Webster]
  
           There is a prohibition so divine,
           That cravens my weak hand.               --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  craven
       adj : lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful;
             "the craven fellow turned and ran"; "a craven proposal
             to raise the white flag"; "this recreant knight"-
             Spenser [syn: {recreant}]
       n : an abject coward [syn: {poltroon}, {recreant}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  19 Moby Thesaurus words for "craven":
     base, caitiff, chicken, coward, dastard, dastardly, dunghill,
     dunghilly, funk, funker, gutless, lily-livered, poltroon,
     poltroonish, pusillanimous, quitter, recreant, spunkless,
     unmanly
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  CRAVEN. A word of obloquy, which in trials by battle, was pronounced by the 
  vanquished; upon which judgment was rendered against him. 
  
  

From U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000) [gaz-county]:

  Craven -- U.S. County in North Carolina
     Population (2000):    91436
     Housing Units (2000): 38150
     Land area (2000):     708.426888 sq. miles (1834.817138 sq. km)
     Water area (2000):    65.715334 sq. miles (170.201927 sq. km)
     Total area (2000):    774.142222 sq. miles (2005.019065 sq. km)
     Located within:       North Carolina (NC), FIPS 37
     Location:             35.095872 N, 77.061834 W
     Headwords:
      Craven
      Craven, NC
      Craven County
      Craven County, NC