%creant%

n. [ OF. mescreant, F. mécréant; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + p. pr. fr. L. credere to believe. See Creed. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. One who holds a false religious faith; a misbeliever. [ Obs. ] Spenser. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou oughtest not to be slothful to the destruction of the miscreants, but to constrain them to obey our Lord God. Rivers. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One not restrained by Christian principles; an unscrupulous villain; a depraved person; a vile wretch. Addison.

a. 1. Holding a false religious faith. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Destitute of conscience; unscrupulous; villainous; base; depraved. Pope. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

a. [ L. procreans, p. pr. of procreare. See Procreate. ] Generating; producing; productive; fruitful; assisting in procreation. [ R. ] “His pendent bed and procreant cradle.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, procreates. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OF., cowardly, fr. recroire, recreire, to forsake, leave, tire, discourage, regard as conquered, LL. recredere se to declare one's self conquered in combat; hence, those are called recrediti or recreanti who are considered infamous; L. pref. re- again, back + credere to believe, to be of opinion; hence, originally, to disavow one's opinion. See Creed. ] 1. Crying for mercy, as a combatant in the trial by battle; yielding; cowardly; mean-spirited; craven. “This recreant knight.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Apostate; false; unfaithful. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who, for so many benefits received,
Turned recreant to God, ingrate and false. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]