truant

truant
   The original meaning of truant was ‘idle vagabond’, ‘rogue’. Since the sixteenth century the word has had the particular meaning of one who absents himself from school without permission. Shakespeare has a reference to playing truant, in this sense, in The Merry Wives of Windsor (5:i), but does not use the word vocatively. Mr Rochester, however, addresses it to Jane in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: ‘Truant! truant! Absent from me a whole month: and forgetting me quite, I’ll be sworn!’

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • truant — [tro͞o′ənt] n. [ME < OFr, beggar, vagabond < Celt, as in Ir trōgán, dim. of truag, wretched] 1. Obs. a lazy, idle person 2. a pupil who stays away from school without permission 3. a person who neglects his or her work or duties adj. 1.… …   English World dictionary

  • Truant — Tru ant, n. [F. truand, OF. truant, a vagrant, beggar; of Celtic origin; cf. W. tru, truan, wretched, miserable, truan a wretch, Ir. trogha miserable, Gael. truaghan a poor, distressed, or wretched creature, truagh wretched.] One who stays away… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Truant — Tru ant, a. Wandering from business or duty; loitering; idle, and shirking duty; as, a truant boy. [1913 Webster] While truant Jove, in infant pride, Played barefoot on Olympus side. Trumbull. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • truant — (n.) early 13c., beggar, vagabond, from O.Fr. truant beggar, rogue (12c.), from Gaulish *trougant (Cf. Breton *truan, later truant vagabond, Welsh truan wretch, Gaelic truaghan wretched ). Cf. Sp. truhan buffoon, from same source. Meaning one who …   Etymology dictionary

  • Truant — Tru ant, v. i. [Cf. F. truander.] To idle away time; to loiter, or wander; to play the truant. Shak. [1913 Webster] By this means they lost their time and truanted on the fundamental grounds of saving knowledge. Lowell. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • truant — I adjective absent, apathetic, dilatory, errant, flown, fugitive, idle, inattentive, indifferent, indolent, laggard, lazy, loitering, missing, neglectful, nonattendant, remiss, shiftless, shirking, slack, slothful, straying, unconcerned,… …   Law dictionary

  • truant — [adj] absent absent without leave, astray, away, AWOL*, cutting class*, gone, hooky*, missing, no show*, not present, playing hooky*, skipping school*; concept 583 truant [n] absentee delinquent, deserter, draft dodger, hooky player, malingerer,… …   New thesaurus

  • truant — ► NOUN ▪ a pupil who stays away from school without permission or explanation. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ wandering; straying. ► VERB (also play truant) ▪ (of a pupil) stay away from school without permission or explanation. DERIVATIVES truancy noun …   English terms dictionary

  • Truant — Tru ant, v. t. To idle away; to waste. [R.] [1913 Webster] I dare not be the author Of truanting the time. Ford. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Truant — On rencontre ce nom essentiellement dans le Nord Pas de Calais. Il correspond au mot truand, mais avec un sens différent. Au XIIe siècle le truand était en effet un mendiant …   Noms de famille

  • truant — n *vagabond, vagrant, tramp, hobo, bum …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”