recreance

A knight's recreance cost him his honor and his kingdom.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Cowardice or faint-heartedness: "recreance" denotes a state or quality of being cowardly, lacking courage, or yielding to fear.
   • Treachery or betrayal: It can also refer to an act of disloyalty, apostasy, or faithlessness, especially in a context of abandoning a cause or allegiance.

Usage Examples

• Cowardice:
  • His recreance in the face of danger was evident to all. (His cowardice was obvious when confronted with risk.)
• Betrayal:
  • The knight's recreance led him to abandon his oath to the king. (The knight's treachery caused him to forsake his sworn loyalty.)

Advanced Usage

• "to show recreance": to display cowardice or disloyalty.
  • The general accused the soldier of showing recreance during the battle. (The general charged the soldier with cowardice in combat.)
• "an act of recreance": a specific instance of betrayal or cowardice.
  • The treaty was broken by an act of recreance from the ambassador. (The agreement was violated due to the ambassador's treacherous action.)

Variants and Related Words

• Recreancy (n): an alternative form of "recreance," meaning the same: cowardice or betrayal.
  • His recreancy was condemned by the entire council. (His cowardice or disloyalty was denounced by the council.)
• Recreant (adj/n): (adjective) cowardly or unfaithful; (noun) a coward or traitor.
  • The recreant soldier fled the field. (The cowardly soldier ran away from the battlefield.)

Synonyms

• Cowardice: lack of bravery.
• Timidity: lack of confidence or courage.
• Treachery: betrayal of trust.
• Apostasy: abandonment of a belief or principle.
• Perfidy: deceitfulness or untrustworthiness.

Related Idioms

• "Turn tail": to run away from danger or difficulty, showing cowardice.
  • When the enemy approached, he turned tail in recreance. (He fled cowardly.)
• "Show the white feather": to display cowardice (especially in a military context).
  • His recreance was plain when he showed the white feather. (His cowardice was evident.)

Phrasal Verbs

• No common phrasal verbs are associated with "recreance" due to its archaic and literary nature.