Medieval · insult · noun
Milksop
MILK-sop /ˈmɪlkˌsɒp/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedlate 1300s
A weak, spineless, timid man. Literally a piece of bread soaked in milk — soft food for infants — so the insult calls a grown man babyishly soft.
Where it was first recorded
Dated late 14c. as a term of contempt; mid-13c. as a fictional surname by Etymonline; one of the early uses is Chaucer's Monk's Prologue.
In its own time
To wedde a milksop or a coward ape,
Today
Modern exampleDon't be a milksop — just ring the restaurant and tell them the soup was cold.
Harmless and theatrical — still understood, and funny rather than cruel.
Rests on an old idea of 'manliness' (Etymonline glosses it 'one who is devoid of manliness'); best aimed at behaviour, not at anyone's gender or identity.
Questions
What does milksop mean?
A weak, spineless, timid man. Literally a piece of bread soaked in milk — soft food for infants — so the insult calls a grown man babyishly soft.
When was milksop first used?
It is first recorded late 1300s.
Can you still use milksop today?
Harmless and theatrical — still understood, and funny rather than cruel.
Sources
- milksop — Etymonline (Online Etymology Dictionary)
- milksop — Merriam-Webster
- milksop — Wiktionary
- Chaucer's Works, vol. 4: The Canterbury Tales (ed. Skeat) — Project Gutenberg
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above