wimp / noun, verb
1. [Noun] A weak, indecisive, and ineffectual person; a coward.
2. [Verb] To act cowardly, to 'chicken' (out), to get cold feet.
Dr. Goodword: The verb whimp has been in English since at least the 15th century alongside its synonym, whimper. In fact, the latter may be a blend of whimp and simper, used dialectally in the same sense. The best guess is that today's Good Word is a variation of this word. It first began appearing in published form in the 1920s. In England it was a derogatory word for woman and in the US the meaning was similar, given the prejudices against strength and decisiveness in women, though it is more often a slur directed at men
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