Cowardice

Cowardice is a trait wherein fear and excess self-concern override doing or saying what is right, good and of help to others or oneself in a time of need—it is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge.

Many military codes of justice proscribe cowardice in combat as a crime punishable by death (note the phrase "shot at dawn").

As a retraction of a virtue that many cultures may expect or have expected, cowardice rates as a character flaw which society or its representatives may variously stigmatize or punish.

Etymology

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word coward came into English from the Old French word coart (modern French couard), a combination of the word for "tail" (Modern French queue, Latin cauda) and an agent noun suffix. It would therefore have meant "one with a tail" — perhaps from the habit of animals displaying their tails in flight ("turning tail"), or from a dog's habit of putting its tail between its legs when it is afraid or cowed. Like many other English words of French origin, this word was introduced in the English language by the French-speaking Normans, after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

Coward (surname)

Coward is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

See also

Coward (disambiguation)

A coward is someone who possesses the trait of cowardice.

Coward may also refer to:

People

Arts and entertainment

Coward (album)

Coward is the second album by post-hardcore band Made Out of Babies. It was the second and last album by the band to be released on Neurot records. It was recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, Chicago.

Track listing

References

Cruel Melody

Cruel Melody is the debut album of American rock band Black Light Burns, released on June 5, 2007, through Ross Robinson's label I AM: WOLFPACK. The album is an outcome of frontman Wes Borland's efforts after his departure from Limp Bizkit in 2001, after which he took part in many projects such as Eat the Day and The Damning Well. After receiving additional inputs from then members Danny Lohner, Josh Freese and Josh Eustis, Cruel Melody was released in the spring of 2007 to critical acclaim.

Background

Wes Borland began writing in early 2004 a solo album of mainly melodic and esoteric material after he disbanded his projects such as Big Dumb Face, Eat the Day and The Damning Well but slightly before he rejoined Limp Bizkit in mid-2004. During this time Borland was offered the touring guitarist spot in Nine Inch Nails, and frontman Trent Reznor offered his opinions on the material as it was at the time. He encouraged Borland to "not sing like someone was asleep in the next room" and make it a heavier affair, while coincidentally Borland was changing the material slowly more into that. While the songs were written by Borland, he did have additional input from producer Danny Lohner, drummer Josh Freese (both ex-members of The Damning Well) and the keyboards and additional engineering were assisted by Josh Eustis.

Coward (Nels Cline album)

Coward is a solo album by American guitarist Nels Cline which was released in October 2009 on the Cryptogramophone label.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos states, "This sounds like a very personal and emotional project, certainly one that is rendered from the heart, and must be listened to with the challenged bravery and wide open ears that ignorant, frightened people and those afraid of living life will never, ever experience". Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman stated "Like the best solo guitar albums, Coward transcends being merely an exercise in the instrument's vast potential—though it is that, too. Impossible to create without Cline's unequivocal virtuosity, the largely acoustic Coward remains about everything but guitaristic acumen. Instead it's an instrumental masterpiece, further positioning Cline as one of today's most open-minded composers, players and musical conceptualists. Despite its not inconsiderable challenges, it retains a surprisingly broad appeal, making it a true classic that will likely keep aspiring guitarists scratching their heads for years to come".Pitchfork Media's Mark Masters stated "There's no doubt that Coward is a worthy addition to his canon, but the chances of it being anyone's go-to Cline disc are roughly the same as someone listing a compilation as their favorite album".