French word

pissou

Pronunciation

IPA/pisu/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncoward

Example

Arrête d'être un pissou et dis ce que tu penses.

Stop being a coward and say what you think.

Illustration for pissou (coward)

More examples

Après sa fuite, tout le monde l'a traité de pissou.

After his escape, everyone called him a coward.

Core concept

A person who retreats from action when fear takes hold.

Common phrases

  • être un pissou

    be a coward

  • traiter quelqu'un de pissou

    call someone a coward

Similar words

lâche: A coward who flees danger or responsibility instead of showing courage.
trouillard: A person who gets frightened easily and soon runs away or gives up.
poule mouillée: An extremely timid person frightened by the slightest things and unwilling to act.
peureux: A person easily overcome by anxiety or fear over minor matters.

Definition in French

Désigne une personne qui cède à la peur et n'ose pas agir.

Word origin

The familiar noun pissou is formed from pisser with the expressive ending -ou and evokes se pisser dessus as a sign of fear.

Usage tips

  • Pissou is familiar and insulting, so it is unsuitable for neutral or formal contexts.

Other meanings

  • weaklingnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word