Dastard

4 definitions found

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

  Dastard \Das"tard\, a.
     Meanly shrinking from danger; cowardly; dastardly. "Their
     dastard souls." --Addison.
     [1913 Webster]

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



  Dastard \Das"tard\, v. t.
     To dastardize. [R.] --Dryden.
     [1913 Webster]

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

  Dastard \Das"tard\ (d[a^]s"t[~e]rd), n. [Prob. from Icel.
     d[ae]str exhausted. breathless, p. p. of d[ae]sa to groan,
     lose one's breath; cf. dasask to become exhausted, and E.
     daze.]
     One who meanly shrinks from danger; an arrant coward; a
     poltroon.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           You are all recreants and dashtards, and delight to
           live in slavery to the nobility.         --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  dastard
       adj : treacherously cowardly; "the unprovoked and dastardly attack
             by Japan on...December 7th"- F.D. Roosevelt [syn: {dastard(a)},
              {dastardly}]
       n : a malicious coward