Definition
An archaic term for a coward or a dishonorable person, similar to 'coistrel' or 'costrel'.
Etymology
Variant spelling of 'coistrel' or 'costrel', which comes from Old French 'costrel' (a flask or bottle, later used as a derogatory term for a contemptible person).
Kelly Says
Medieval insults tell us what people valued—calling someone a 'coystrel' implied they were base and dishonorable, showing that courage and honor were considered supreme virtues in that era.
Translations
ARالعربية
كويستريل
koy-streel
BNবাংলা
কোয়স্ট্রেল
koi-streel
CACatalà
coystrel
coy-strehl
CSČeština
coystrel
coy-strehl
DADansk
coystrel
coy-strehl
DEDeutsch
coystrel
coy-strehl
ELΕλληνικά
coystrel
coy-strehl
ESEspañol
coystrel
coy-strehl
FAفارسی
کوئیستریل
koi-streel
FISuomi
coystrel
coy-strehl
FRFrançais
coystrel
coy-strehl
GUGU
કોયસ્ટ્રેલ
koi-streel
HEעברית
קויסטריל
koi-streel
HIहिन्दी
कोइस्ट्रेल
koi-streel
HUMagyar
coystrel
coy-strehl
IDBahasa Indonesia
coystrel
coy-strehl
ITItaliano
coystrel
coy-strehl
JA日本語
コイストレル
koi-suto-reru
KMKM
កូស្ត្រែល
koo-streel
MRMR
कोयस्ट्रेल
koi-streel
MSBahasa Melayu
coystrel
coy-strehl
MYမြန်မာ
ကိုယ့်စတြယ်
ko-yet-s-trael
NLNederlands
coystrel
coy-strehl
NONorsk
coystrel
coy-strehl
PAPA
ਕੋਇਸਟ੍ਰੇਲ
koi-streel
PLPolski
coystrel
coy-strehl
PTPortuguês
coystrel
coy-strehl
RORomână
coystrel
coy-strehl
RUРусский
коистрел
koi-strehl
SVSvenska
coystrel
coy-strehl
SWKiswahili
coystrel
coy-strehl
TAதமிழ்
கோயிஸ்ட்ரெல்
koi-s-trel
TEతెలుగు
కోయిస్ట్రెల్
koi-streel
THไทย
โคยสเทรล
koi-su-terl
TRTürkçe
coystrel
coy-strehl
UKУкраїнська
коістріл
koi-streel
URاردو
کوئسٹریل
koy-streel
VITiếng Việt
coystrel
coy-strehl
ZH中文
科伊斯特雷尔
kē yī sī tè lēi
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Coystrel (a base, cowardly man) historically indexed cowardice to unmanliness; the term's deployment gendered weakness as feminine and failure to live up to male ideals as shameful.
Inclusive Usage
When discussing cowardice or baseness, name the behavior directly rather than invoking gendered insult. Avoid terms that equate moral failure with deviation from masculine norms.
Inclusive Alternatives
["coward","knave","base person","dishonorable person"]