dastard

  • 1Dastard — Das tard, a. Meanly shrinking from danger; cowardly; dastardly. Their dastard souls. Addison. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Dastard — 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… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3Dastard — Das tard, v. t. To dastardize. [R.] Dryden. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4dastard — mid 15c., one who is lazy or dull; an English formation on a French model, probably from *dast, dazed, pp. of dasen to daze + (see DAZE (Cf. daze)) + deprecatory suffix ARD (Cf. ard). Meaning one who shirks from danger is late 15c …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5dastard — [das′tərd] n. [ME, a craven, prob. < Scand base, as in ON dasast, to become exhausted (see DAZE) + ME ard, ARD] a sneaky, cowardly evildoer …

    English World dictionary

  • 6dastard — /das teuhrd/, n. 1. a mean, sneaking coward. adj. 2. of or befitting a dastard; mean, sneaky, and cowardly. [1400 50; late ME < ?.] * * * …

    Universalium

  • 7dastard — 1. noun /ˈdæstəd,ˈdæstɚd/ A malicious coward. 2. adjective /ˈdæstəd,ˈdæstɚd/ meanly shrinking from danger, cowardly, dastardly Observe, too, that this is all a modern affair; belongs not to th …

    Wiktionary

  • 8dastard — I noun a despicable coward • Derivationally related forms: ↑dastardly • Hypernyms: ↑coward II adjective despicably cowardly the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on...December 7th F.D. Roosevelt …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 9dastard plover — Lapwing Lap wing , n. [OE. lapwynke, leepwynke, AS. hle[ a]pewince; hle[ a]pan to leap, jump + (prob.) a word akin to AS. wincian to wink, E. wink, AS. wancol wavering; cf. G. wanken to stagger, waver. See {Leap}, and {Wink}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A small&#8230; …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 10dastard — noun Etymology: Middle English Date: 15th century 1. coward 2. a person who acts treacherously or underhandedly …

    New Collegiate Dictionary