coward and cowardly

[hoangkha]

Hello. Happy New Year to you all.
All the dictionaries, Longman, Oxford, Cambridge, Macmillan and thefreedictionary, I have looked them up say that "coward" as a noun and "cowardly" as an adjective. However, this dictionary says that "coward" is both a noun and an adjective.

coward
noun
1.a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition,pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

adjective
2.lacking courage; very fearful or timid.

3.proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity:a coward cry.


http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/coward?jss=0

cowardly
adjective
1.lacking courage; contemptibly timid.

2.characteristic of or befitting a coward; despicably mean, covert, orunprincipled:a cowardly attack on a weak, defenseless man.


adverb
3.like a coward.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cowardly?s=t

Therefore, I am wondering if there is any difference between "coward" and "cowardly" as adjectives. Help please.

 

[Barb_D]

I simply would not use it as an adjective. The dictionary says it's valid, but it would sound very odd to me if you did.

 

[MikeNewYork]

The use of "coward" as an adjective is very dated. You could find its use in some old literature, but it is really not used in that way currently.