cowardice
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cowardice
The quality of being fearful and, out of fear of danger, pain, or inconvenience, failing to take necessary or right actions.
Er warf ihm Feigheit vor, weil er sich nicht für seinen Freund eingesetzt hatte.
He accused him of cowardice because he had not stood up for his friend.
'Feigheit' (cowardice) is an abstract noun derived from the adjective 'feige' (cowardly, lacking courage). The ending '-heit' is often used to form qualities from adjectives.
Er konnte seine Feigheit nicht überwinden und schwieg.
He could not overcome his cowardice and remained silent.
The word family includes the adjective 'feige' (cowardly, as in a cowardly person) and the noun 'der Feigling' (a coward). Understanding these words helps reinforce the meaning of 'Feigheit' (cowardice).
Es war feige von ihm, nicht die Wahrheit zu sagen.
It was cowardly of him not to tell the truth.
To indicate the reason for an action, the phrase 'aus Feigheit' (out of cowardice) is used. Another common construction is 'jemandem Feigheit vorwerfen' (to accuse someone of cowardice).
Er hat aus reiner Feigheit nicht geholfen.
He did not help out of sheer cowardice.
When a single act is meant, 'Feigheit' (cowardice) is often used countably like a normal noun, e.g. with the indefinite article 'eine' (a). The general quality, by contrast, is usually uncountable.
Den Freund im Stich zu lassen, war eine große Feigheit.
Abandoning a friend was a great act of cowardice.
fear
'die Angst' and 'die Feigheit' are related, but they are not the same thing. 'Angst' is first of all a feeling: you are afraid of something. 'Feigheit' evaluates a behavior or quality negatively: someone does not do something necessary or right because they are afraid. Learners may confuse the words because cowardice often comes from fear. But not every fear is cowardice. You can be afraid and still act in the right way.
Die Gruppe nannte es Feigheit, dass niemand dem verletzten Spieler half.
The group called it cowardice that no one helped the injured player.
Im dunklen Keller bekam meine Schwester plötzlich Angst.
In the dark basement, my sister suddenly became afraid.