Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An attendant or servant.
  • noun A knight's page.
  • noun A rascal; a knave.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun 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.
  • noun Hence, one in a subordinate or menial position; a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal; a rogue: a term of contempt or reproach.
  • noun The coat-card now called the knave or jack (in French, valet).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete A servant, especially to a knight; an attendant; a valet; a footman.
  • noun Hence, a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal.
  • noun obsolete In a pack of playing cards, the court card now called the knave, or jack.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete A servant or attendant.
  • noun historical Specifically, a youth acting as a knight's attendant at the beginning of his training for knighthood.
  • noun archaic A rogue or scoundrel.
  • noun obsolete, card games The jack.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
  • noun in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, variant of vaslet; see valet.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French varlet. Compare valet.

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Examples

  • She called the varlet within the chapel, and showed him this wonder.

    French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France Marie de France

  • 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.

    Bunyan Characters (3rd Series) Alexander Whyte 1878

  • "And 'varlet' is the wrong gender, anyway," observed Bess.

    Nan Sherwood at Rose Ranch Annie Roe Carr

  • 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 Emily Sarah Holt 1864

  • "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.

    Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II Charlotte Mary Yonge 1862

  • 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?

    May Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour 2009

  • 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?

    Archive 2009-05-01 2009

  • 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.

    Wildfire Sarah Micklem 2009

  • The Wolf—who was not a warrior of the Blood, but a mere varlet—had a hole in his chest.

    Wildfire Sarah Micklem 2009

  • 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.

    Wildfire Sarah Micklem 2009

Comments

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  • 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'.

    December 31, 2008