Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

scoundrel

 - 3 dictionary results

scoun⋅drel

[skoun-druhl]
–noun
1. an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain.
–adjective
2. mean or base in nature; villainous; unprincipled; dishonorable.

Origin:
1580–90; orig. uncert.


1. scamp, rapscallion, miscreant. See knave.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scoundrel
scoun·drel   (skoun'drəl)   
n.  A villain; a rogue.

[Origin unknown.]
scoun'drel·ly adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

scoundrel 
1589, skowndrell, of unknown origin. One suggestion is Anglo-Fr. escoundre (O.Fr. escondre) "to hide, hide oneself," from V.L. *excondere, from L. condere "to hide" (see abscond), The main objection to this theory is that hundreds of years lie between the two words.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see scoundrel on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: