pusillanimous
- Showing a lack of courage or determination; timid and cowardly.
In a sentence
- The pusillanimous council refused to take any decisive action on the matter.
- He was too pusillanimous to stand up and defend his own proposal.
Usage note. Meaning trap: it's not just 'shy'—it implies moral cowardice, a failure of nerve when action is called for. Spelling tip: remember 'pusillus' (small) + 'animus' (spirit) = small-spirited.
Where it comes from
English pusillanimous — “cowardly, timid” · entered English 16th c.
From Late Latin 'pusillanimis', a compound of 'pusillus' (very small, petty; related to 'pusus', boy) and 'animus' (spirit, mind, courage). The word thus literally means 'of small spirit'. It entered English in the 16th century. Source: Merriam-Webster, Oxford English Dictionary.