knave

[neyv] /neɪv/
noun
1.
an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.
2.
Cards. jack1 (def 2).
3.
Archaic.
  1. a male servant.
  2. a man of humble position.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English; Old English cnafa; cognate with German Knabe boy; akin to Old Norse knapi page, boy
Can be confused
knave, naval, nave (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
1. blackguard, villain, scamp, scapegrace. Knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered base, dishonest, or worthless. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention: a dishonest and swindling knave. Rascal suggests shrewdness and trickery in dishonesty: a plausible rascal. A rogue is a worthless fellow who sometimes preys extensively upon the community by fraud: photographs of criminals in a rogues' gallery. A scoundrel is a blackguard and rogue of the worst sort: a thorough scoundrel. Rascal and rogue are often used affectionately or humorously (an entertaining rascal; a saucy rogue ), but knave and scoundrel are not.
Antonyms
hero.
Examples from the web for knave
  • It seems utterly impossible to overtake that old rebel hypocrite and knave.
  • She was hardly worth the hazard run by the knave that fired her.
  • As loudly as he had been lauded a financial savior months earlier, he was branded a knave and ignobly demoted.
  • But if the trustee delegates to a knave or an incompetent, the delegation can work harm upon the beneficiaries.
British Dictionary definitions for knave

knave

/neɪv/
noun
1.
(archaic) a dishonest man; rogue
2.
another word for jack1 (sense 6)
3.
(obsolete) a male servant
Derived Forms
knavish, adjective
knavishly, adverb
knavishness, noun
Word Origin
Old English cnafa; related to Old High German knabo boy
Word Origin and History for knave
n.

Old English cnafa "boy, male servant," common Germanic (cf. Old High German knabo "boy, youth, servant," German knabe "boy, lad," also probably related to Old English cnapa "boy, youth, servant," Old Norse knapi "servant boy," Dutch knaap "a youth, servant," Middle High German knappe "a young squire," German Knappe "squire, shield-bearer"). The original meaning might have been "stick, piece of wood" [Klein]. Sense of "rogue, rascal" first recorded c.1200. In playing cards, "the jack," 1560s.