Etymologically
Log in

knave

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 00:37. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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

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