knave

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The wolf in the [4011]emblem sucked the goat (so the shepherd would have it), but he kept nevertheless a wolf's nature; [4012]a knave will be a knave.

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Definitions (13)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun An unprincipled, crafty fellow.
  2. noun A male servant.
  3. noun A man of humble birth.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Knave has been looked up 569 times, favorited 0 times, listed 53 times, and commented on twice.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English cnafa, boy, male servant.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English knave, cnave, cnafe, from Anglo-Saxon cnafa (= Old High German chnabe, knabe, knab, Middle High German G. knabe), also cnapa (later Middle English knape) = OFries. knapa, knappa = Middle Dutch knape, Dutch knaap = Middle Low German Low German knape = Old High German knappo, Middle High German knappe, knape, German knappe, a boy, servant, = Icelandic knapi, knappi, knapr, a servant, = Swedish (obsolete) knape, esquire; perhaps from Teutonic kan, the root of ken, beget, bring forth (see ken, kin, etc.), the termination being perhaps connected with Gothic (Moesogothic) aba, a man, husband, icel. afi, a grandfather, sometimes used in the sense of ‘a boy’ or ‘a man.’
  2. from knave, n.
 

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/neɪv/
by American Heritage

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