köken: From Old Galician-Portuguese covardia, from covarda, from Old French coart, cuard, from coe (“tail”) + -ard (“pejorative agent noun”); coe is in turn from Latin cauda. The reference seems to be to an animal “turning tail”, or having its tail between its legs, especially a dog.
From Old Galician-Portuguese covardia (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from covarda, from Old French coart, cuard, from coe (“tail”) + -ard (“pejorative agent noun”); coe is in turn from Latin cauda. The reference seems to be to an animal “turning tail”, or having its tail between its legs, especially a dog.