The quality or state of being cowardly, timid, or easily frightened.
Derived from henhearted + -ness (Old English -nes, a suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives), creating an abstract noun for the quality of cowardice.
English lets us stack meaning like building blocks—henhearted + ness—so we can talk about the abstract quality of cowardice with a word that secretly contains 'hen' inside it!
Nominal form of 'henhearted'; perpetuates feminine animal = cowardice equation through abstraction.
Avoid; use 'cowardice', 'timidity', or 'fearfulness' for descriptive accuracy without gendered metaphor.
["cowardice","timidity","fearfulness"]
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