knave

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   dated: a dishonest, deceitful, or unscrupulous man

   The merchant denounced the swindler as a knave who preyed on the trusting.

2. 2
   noun

   historical: the jack in a deck of playing cards

   In the old rules, the knave ranked below the queen.

Simplified etymology

Knave comes from an Old English word meaning “boy.” Its association with a young man helps explain its use for the playing card also called a jack.

From Middle English knave and Old English cnafa ('boy, youth, servant'), related to German Knabe. The word shifted from a neutral term for a boy or male servant to a disparaging term for a low or dishonest man; the card sense survives as jack.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary