Word of the Day Archive
Saturday November 19, 2011
knavery \NEY-vuh-ree\
, noun:
1. Unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest dealing; trickery.
2. Action or practice characteristic of a knave
3. A knavish act or practice.
Knavery may serve for a turn, but honesty is best in the long run.
-- Aesop, Aesop's Fables
Yes, I took the brunt of it but not because there was a ballot on it but because I know knavery when I see knavery. Plus underhandedness and mischief.
-- Gordon Lish, Collected Fictions
Originally from the German word knabe meaning “boy or lad,” knavery has been used to imply deceitful intentions since the 1200s.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for knavery
