different between coward vs kiasi

English

Etymology

From Middle English coward, from Old French coart, cuard ( > French couard), from coue (“tail”), coe + -ard (pejorative agent noun suffix); coue, coe is in turn from Latin cauda. The reference seems to be to an animal “turning tail”, or having its tail between its legs, especially a dog. Unrelated to English cower. Displaced native Old English earg.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: kou'?d, IPA^(key): /?ka??d/
• (US) enPR: kou'?rd, IPA^(key): /?ka??d/
• Hyphenation: co?ward
• Homophone: cowered

Noun

coward (plural cowards)

1. A person who lacks courage.
   • 1856: Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part II Chapter IV, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling

     He tortured himself to find out how he could make his declaration to her, and always halting between the fear of displeasing her and the shame of being such a coward, he wept with discouragement and desire. Then he took energetic resolutions, wrote letters that he tore up, put it off to times that he again deferred.

Synonyms

• chicken
• scaredy pants
• yellowbelly
• See also Thesaurus:coward

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

coward (comparative more coward, superlative most coward)

1. Cowardly.
   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act II, Scene 4,^[1]

     He rais’d the house with loud and coward cries.

   • 1709, Matthew Prior, “Celia to Damon” in Poems on Several Occasions, London: Jacob Tonson, 2nd edition, p. 89,^[2]

     Invading Fears repel my Coward Joy;

     And Ills foreseen the pleasant Bliss destroy.

2. (heraldry, of a lion) Borne in the escutcheon with his tail doubled between his legs.

Verb

coward (third-person singular simple present cowards, present participle cowarding, simple past and past participle cowarded)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To intimidate.
   • 1820, John Chalkhill, Thealma and Clearchus

     The first he coped with was their captain, whom / His sword sent headless to seek out a tomb. / This cowarded the valour of the rest, […]

References

• Coward in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

English

Etymology

From Hokkien ????? (kia?-sí, “afraid to die”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k????sî?/
• Hyphenation: kia?si

Adjective

kiasi (comparative more kiasi, superlative most kiasi)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, mildly derogatory) Unwilling to take a chance for fear that something bad or unfavourable will happen; cowardly.

   Why are you so kiasi? You won't die from getting a small cut on the finger.

   If everyone dares to bungee jump, why can't you do the same? Are you kiasi or what?

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:cowardly.

Noun

kiasi (plural kiasi or kiasis)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, mildly derogatory) A kiasi person.

See also

• kiasu

Anagrams

• Saiki, kiais

Swahili

Etymology

From Arabic ??????? (qiy?s).

Pronunciation

Noun

kiasi (ki-vi class, plural viasi)

1. amount, measure, quantity
2. price

   Synonym: bei

3. (firearms) cartridge

Adverb

kiasi

1. a little, somewhat
2. moderately
3. approximately