What does "coistril" mean?

An inferior groom or lad employed by an esquire to carry the knight's arms and other necessaries; a coistrel.

Coistril

Q: What is a synonym for "coistril"?

Common synonyms include: nithing, blackguard, chicken, coward, coward and thesaurus:villain, craven.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
An inferior groom or lad employed by an esquire to carry the knight's arms and other necessaries; a coistrel. obsolete
2
A mean, paltry fellow; a coward. obsolete
"And he shall 'by his merriment as dear / As ever coistril bought so little sport: / Ne'er let this sword assist me when I need, / But rust and canker after I have sworn."

Synonyms

All synonyms

nithing blackguard chicken coward coward and thesaurus:villain craven

Antonyms

All antonyms

knight in shining armor

Example

More examples

"And he shall 'by his merriment as dear / As ever coistril bought so little sport: / Ne'er let this sword assist me when I need, / But rust and canker after I have sworn."

Etymology

Probably from Old French coustillier (“groom or lad”). Compare custrel.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.