white-livered
Afraid of everything
White-livered means cowardly or lacking courage.
The liver was once thought to be the seat of bravery, and a pale or bloodless liver supposedly indicated a timid spirit: The white-livered fool ran at the first sign of trouble.
The word is old-fashioned and literary, largely replaced by yellow-bellied or simply cowardly.
cowardice
Without bravery or nerve
- cravenContemptibly lacking nerve
- pusillanimousLacking courage or determination
- faint-heartedLacking resolve or nerve
- spinelessLacking courage or resolve
timid · gutless · yellow-bellied · lily-livered · fearful · weak-kneed · chicken-hearted · timorous
cowardly
Without bravery or nerve
- cravenContemptibly lacking nerve
- pusillanimousLacking courage or determination
- faint-heartedLacking resolve or nerve
spineless · timid · gutless · yellow-bellied · lily-livered · fearful · weak-kneed · chicken-hearted · timorous · dastardly