Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An attendant or servant.
- n. A knight's page.
- n. A rascal; a knave.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Originally, a very young man of noble or knightly birth, serving an apprenticeship in knightly exercises and accomplishments while awaiting elevation to the rank of knight; hence (because such youths served as pages or personal servants to the knights who had charge of them), a body-servant or attendant. (See valet.) The name was also given to the city bailiffs or Serjeants.
- n. Hence, one in a subordinate or menial position; a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal; a rogue: a term of contempt or reproach.
- n. The coat-card now called the knave or jack (in French, valet).
Wiktionary
- n. A servant or attendant.
- n. Specifically, a youth acting as a knight's attendant at the beginning of his training for knighthood.
- n. A rogue or scoundrel.
- n. The jack.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A servant, especially to a knight; an attendant; a valet; a footman.
- n. Hence, a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal.
- n. In a pack of playing cards, the court card now called the
knave , orjack .
WordNet 3.0
- n. a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
- n. in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French, variant of vaslet; see valet.
Examples
“She called the varlet within the chapel, and showed him this wonder.”
“A varlet is a valet who has come down, and down, and down, and down again in the world, till, from once having been the servant and the trusty friend of the very best of masters, he has come to be the ally and accomplice of the very worst of masters.”
“And 'varlet' is the wrong gender, anyway," observed Bess.”
“Philippa recognised him at once as the personal "varlet" attendant on the Countess.”
The Well in the Desert An Old Legend of the House of Arundel
“varlet," named Bogis, who was lifted on the shoulders of his comrades, till he could climb in at an undefended window, where he drew up sixty more with ropes.”
“I don't know about you, but I think Pile's Friar Tuck would be offended at such a blunt address, and would probably say something like, How now, thou naughty varlet?”
“He got up and swung his sword at the varlet seated on the ground, and the man parried with the haft of his ax, and there was a dull thunk when steel met ironwood.”
“The Wolf—who was not a warrior of the Blood, but a mere varlet—had a hole in his chest.”
“He wore an undyed tunic that fell short of his knobby knees, and his sword proved to be the sort of everyday long knife any varlet might have.”
“I ought not to have touched the varlet, I knew that, but I acted in desperation.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘varlet’.
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Unsavory characters
absconder, aretaloger, arriviste, avaunter, bamboozler, bandit, banger, barbarian, barmecide, barrator, beldam, blatherskite and 190 more...
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Bad Options
words for those who commit particular crimes: i.e., bank robber, arsonist, etc.
liar, cheat, traitor, arsonist, felon, braggard, thief, profiteer, impostor, phony, fraud, culprit and 194 more...
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Dirty Deeds, Acts & Villainous Arcana
Villains, evildoers, and the wonderful words to describe them.
putsch, internecine, galère, stygian, infernal, opprobrium, anathema, bruit, scurrility, mulct, misanthropic, invective and 102 more...
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Letterrorists
A bunch of -let words, emphasis on the diminutive. Feel free to neologize.
booklet, flatlet, haslet, nutlet, platelet, streamlet, varlet, aglet, gablet, leaflet, piglet, ringlet and 504 more...
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At Your Service
Servants who are traditionally male. Inspired by hernesheir's maids list (as well as Downton Abbey)
footman, chasseur, hurkaru, chobdar, lackey, jeames, manservant, pantryman, groom, palefrenier, coistrel, ostler and 70 more...
bilby
Saint Edward cried, “It is monstrous sin
A beggar to lie in rags so thin!
An old gray-beard and the frost so keen:
I shall give him my fur-lined gaberdine.�?
He stripped off his gaberdine of scarlet
And wrapped it round the aged varlet,
Who clutched at the folds with a muttered curse,
Quaking and chattering seven times worse.
- Robert Graves, 'The Shivering Beggar'. Dec 30, 2008