Lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity
The Latin roots of this derisive adjective are pusillus, meaning "very small" (and related to pusus, meaning "boy") and animus, which means "spirit" and is the ancestor to many words in our language, including "animal" and "animate." Pusillanimous first appeared in English in the 16th century, but it gained prominence in the 1970s when Vice President Spiro Agnew famously accused his ideological rivals of "pusillanimous pussyfooting."
Cowardly, Pusillanimous, Craven, Dastardly mean having or showing a lack of courage. Cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage. Pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage. Craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. Dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous.
From Dictionary.com:
1. lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.
2. proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.
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