knave

Pronunciation

• IPA: /neɪv/^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English knave,^[2][3][4] inherited from Old English cnafa (“boy, male servant”),^{[2][4][3][5][6]} from Proto-Germanic *knabon-.^[3] It is related to German Knabe “boy”^[4][5][6] and Old English cnapa “boy, servant”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A male child, a boy (before 1050); also a boy or man employed as a servant (about 1000).^[7][4][3]

Semantic evolution

From a servant the word passed to a man of low birth, and then to the low character supposedly typical of such men;^[3] by about 1200 it meant a base, crafty rogue,^[7][4][3] now its main sense.^[7] The neutral sense lasted through Middle English in phrases such as knave-child “male child”.^[3] In cards it named the lowest court card, the jack (1568).^[7][3] Random House notes that knave stresses baseness of nature, while rascal and rogue are often used playfully.^[6]

Timeline

• c1000 – a boy servant.^[7]
• a1050 – a boy.^[7]
• c1205 – a crafty rogue.^[7][4][3]
• c1390 – knavish.^[4]
• 1528 – knavery.^[4]
• 1568 – the jack in cards.^[7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A dishonest, unprincipled and crafty man; a rogue.
2. (archaic) A male servant, or a man of humble birth.
3. (cards) The jack.

Word family

• knavish
• knavishly
• knavishness
• knavery

Related words

• rascal
• rogue
• scoundrel
• jack

Usage notes

Random House distinguishes knave, rascal, rogue and scoundrel.^[6] Knave, which once meant merely a boy or servant, now stresses baseness of nature and intention.^[6] Rascal suggests shrewd trickery, a rogue preys on others by fraud, and a scoundrel is the worst sort.^[6] Rascal and rogue are often used affectionately, but knave rarely is.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f g Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press