coward [ME] The Latin word cauda ‘tail’ is the source of coward. This may be from the idea of a frightened animal drawing its tail between its legs or ‘turning tail’ in flight. In heraldry lion coward is the term for a lion depicted with its tail drawn between its hind legs. Despite the similarity in spelling and meaning, the verb cower [ME] has a completely different origin, related to German kauern ‘lie in wait’.