Cowardice

Cowardice is a trait wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, 'cowardice' indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumbs to cowardice is known as a coward.According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word coward came into English from the Old French word coart (modern French couard), which is a combination of the word for 'tail' (Modern French queue, Latin cauda) and an agent noun suffix. It would therefore have meant 'one with a tail', which may conjur an image of an animal displaying its tail in flight of fear ('turning tail'), or a dog's habit of putting its tail between its legs when it is afraid. Like many other English words of French origin, this word was introduced in the English language by the French-speaking Normans, after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.Acts of cowardice have long been punishable by military law, which defines a wide range of cowardly offenses, including desertion in face of the enemy and surrendering to the enemy against orders. The punishment for such acts is typically severe, ranging from corporal punishment to the death sentence. Cowardly conduct is specifically mentioned within the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice, in Article 99.