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Recreant
Definitions
- 1 Having admitted defeat and surrendered; defeated. archaic, poetic
"Soothly, he that despeireth hym is lyk The coward champious recreant, that seith, Creant withoute nede, allas! akkas! bedekes us He recreant and nedelees despeired. [Translation by Larry D. Benson from Riverside Chaucer: Truly, he that despairs himself is like the cowardly defeated champion, who says "I surrender" without need. Alas, alas, needless is he defeated and needless in despair.]"
- 2 Unfaithful to someone, or to one's duties or honour; disloyal, false. literary, poetic
"Who, for ſo many benefits receiv'd, / Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and falſe, / And ſo of all true good himſelf deſpoil'd, […]"
- 1 lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful wordnet
- 2 having deserted a cause or principle wordnet
- 1 Somebody who is recreant, who yields in combat; a coward or traitor.
"[I]n the Choephoroe of Aeschylus Orestes pursues the same idea saying that unless he avenges his father, a stern duty which has devolved upon him, he will be punished in turn by the avengers of his father's wrongs. It may be remarked that in Maina to-day no recourse must be had to law for such cases, nor must the injured person satisfy himself by calling upon the aid of the police. To do this were incredibly base, the subterfuge of a recreant and a craven."
- 2 a disloyal person who betrays or deserts their cause or religion or political party or friend etc. wordnet
- 3 an abject coward wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English recreaunt, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French recreant (“defeated”), from recroire (“to yield in a trial by combat, surrender allegiance”). Compare miscreant.
From Middle English recreaunt, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French recreant (“defeated”), from recroire (“to yield in a trial by combat, surrender allegiance”). Compare miscreant.
See also for "recreant"
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