cravens

1. 1
   nounarchaic

   Plural of craven. Archaic.

   The general dismissed the deserters as cravens unworthy of the regiment's colors.

   In the novel, the villain sneers that the townsfolk are cravens who will never resist him.

   Note

   Because the noun behind it is archaic, calling people cravens sounds old-fashioned or pointedly theatrical, which suits a sneering villain or a general on parade. The adjective is the everyday word, and adjectives take no plural, so a modern writer in a plain register says the deserters were craven, or simply calls them cowards.

2. 2
   verbarchaic

   Third-person singular simple present of craven. Archaic.

   Note

   It works as a causative: the subject is whatever drains courage and the object is whoever loses it, so a threat cravens a witness and a long siege cravens a garrison. The verb is as archaic as the noun for cowards, and everyday English says instead that fear makes someone craven.

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