craven

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

craven
    adj 1: lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful;
           "the craven fellow turned and ran"; "a craven proposal to
           raise the white flag"; "this recreant knight"- Spenser
           [syn: {craven}, {recreant}]
    n 1: an abject coward [syn: {poltroon}, {craven}, {recreant}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Craven \Cra"ven\ (kr?"v'n), a. [OE. cravant, cravaunde, OF.
   cravant? struck down, p. p. of cravanter, crevanter, to
   break, crush, strike down, fr. an assumed LL. crepantare, fr.
   L. crepans, p. pr. of crepare to break, crack, rattle. Cf.
   {Crevice}, {Crepitate}.]
   Cowardly; fainthearted; spiritless. "His craven heart."
   --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

         The poor craven bridegroom said never a word. --Sir. W.
                                                  Scott.
   [1913 Webster]

         In craven fear of the sarcasm of Dorset. --Macaulay.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Craven \Cra"ven\, n. [Formerly written also cravant and
   cravent.]
   A recreant; a coward; a weak-hearted, spiritless fellow. See
   {Recreant}, n.
   [1913 Webster]

         King Henry. Is it fit this soldier keep his oath?
         Fluellen. He is a craven and a villain else. --Shak.

   Syn: Coward; poltroon; dastard.
        [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Craven \Cra"ven\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cravened} (-v'nd); p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Cravening}.]
   To make recreant, weak, spiritless, or cowardly. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

         There is a prohibition so divine,
         That cravens my weak hand.               --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

from Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

CRAVEN. A word of obloquy, which in trials by battle, was pronounced by the 
vanquished; upon which judgment was rendered against him.

from U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000)

Craven -- U.S. County in North Carolina
   Population (2000):    91436
   Housing Units (2000): 38150
   Land area (2000):     708.426888 sq. miles (1834.817138 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    65.715334 sq. miles (170.201927 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    774.142222 sq. miles (2005.019065 sq. km)
   Located within:       North Carolina (NC), FIPS 37
   Location:             35.095872 N, 77.061834 W
   Headwords:
    Craven
    Craven, NC
    Craven County
    Craven County, NC

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

19 Moby Thesaurus words for "craven":
      base, caitiff, chicken, coward, dastard, dastardly, dunghill,
      dunghilly, funk, funker, gutless, lily-livered, poltroon,
      poltroonish, pusillanimous, quitter, recreant, spunkless,
      unmanly