Dictionary

cower en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkaʊɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈkaʊə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English couren, cowre, from Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or from North Germanic (Icelandic kúra (“to doze”)); according to Pokorny, all are ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-Germanic *kuddô (“shell, pod”). Cognate with German kauern (“to squat”), Dutch koeren (“to keep watch (in a cowered position)”), Serbo-Croatian kutriti (“to lie in a bent position”), Swedish kura (“huddle, cower”). Unrelated to coward, which is of Latin origin.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
   • He'd be useless in war. He'd just cower in his bunker until the enemy came in and shot him, or until the war was over.
   • Our dame sits cowering o'er a kitchen fire. 1700, John Dryden, "The Cock and the Fox", in Fables, Ancient and Modern, published March 1700
   • Carrot ran past him to get to the barrel first, and peered down at the cowering Catweazle. “No rats, Dad,” he said. “What's that terrible pong, then?” said Mr Bennett, sniffing. 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 21:
2. (archaic, intransitive) To crouch in general.
   • The mother bird had mov’d not, But cowering o’er her nestlings, Sate confident and fearless, And watch’d the wonted guest. 1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLC:
   • Some sterner virtues o’er the mountain’s breast May sit, like falcons, cowering on the nest 1764, Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveller:
3. (transitive) To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
   • A vicious Mafia threat intended to cower him—but the chief doesn't cower. 2010, Marilyn Brown Oden, The Dead Saint:
   • This done, their doubts will vanish, and they will stand confronted by an object lesson which must have the effect either to arouse them to a determination to banish despotism from the land, or cower them into submission and servitude. 1895, Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industry of Kansas:
   • My spirit will cower them and make them wish they had never risen up against me. 2007, DJ Birmingham, The Queen's Tale: The Struggle for the Survival of Ireland, page 170:
4. (figuratively, intransitive) To be a coward; to hide away or refuse to face opposition due to fear.

Forms

Deriveds

cowerer · coweringly · uncowering

Relateds

coward · cowardice

Translations (50)

fr se tapir (to crouch in fear) · cs krčit se (to crouch in fear) · pl skulić się (to crouch in fear) · nn krype saman (to crouch in fear) · pl przycupnąć (to crouch in fear) · sh skutriti se (to crouch in fear) · fr se recroqueviller (to crouch in fear) · mi whakamaoko (to crouch in fear) · ja 畏怖する (to crouch in fear) · ru заби́ться (to crouch in fear) · es amilanarse (to crouch in fear) · de ängstlich hocken (to crouch in fear) · bg свивам се (to crouch in fear) · fi kartella (to crouch in fear) · ru съёжиться (to crouch in fear) · pl kulić się (to crouch in fear) · pl skulać się (to crouch in fear) · fi kyyristyä (to crouch in fear) · es acobardarse (to crouch in fear) · mi whakaririka (to crouch in fear) · fi karttaa (to crouch in fear) · cmn 抖縮 /抖缩 (to crouch in fear) · bg треперя (to crouch in fear) · nb krympe seg (to crouch in fear) · nl ineenkrimpen (to crouch in fear) · ru сжа́ться (to crouch in fear) · sh kutriti (to crouch in fear) · enm couren (to crouch in fear) · nb krype sammen (to crouch in fear) · ru сжима́ться (to crouch in fear) · ota پوصمق (to crouch in fear) · ca encongir-se (to crouch in fear) · grc καταπτήσσω (to crouch in fear) · mi hūiki (to crouch in fear) · oc s’acaptar (to crouch in fear) · ga cúb (to crouch in fear) · sv krypa ihop (to crouch in fear) · ru забива́ться (to crouch in fear) · nn krympe seg (to crouch in fear) · de kauern (to crouch in fear) · sv kura (to crouch in fear) · cmn 退縮 /退缩 (to crouch in fear) · ja 踞る (to crouch in fear) · oc s’aglatir (to crouch in fear) · ru съёживаться (to crouch in fear) · fi kyyristellä (to crouch in fear) · oc s’amatar (to crouch in fear) · nl in elkaar duiken (to crouch in fear) · ga creathnaigh (to crouch in fear) · pt encolher (to crouch in fear)

cower en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkaʊɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈkaʊə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Meanings

1. (obsolete, transitive) To cherish with care.

Forms