Made cowardly or affected by cowardice; demoralized or frightened.
Past participle form of the verb 'craven,' from Old French 'cravant' meaning broken or defeated. The word originally referred to knights who surrendered or fled battle, with '-ed' added to create an adjectival form indicating a state of having become cowardly.
The word 'craven' dates back to medieval warfare—if a soldier was 'cravened,' it meant his spirit was literally broken in battle, so this is a word born from real medieval shame and dishonor!
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