lout

lout
   ‘Most sweet lout’ is a term of address used by the Bastard in Shakespeare’s King John. The word ‘lout’ may have been in use in the twelfth century, during King John’s reign, but the Oxford English Dictionary is only able to date it from written sources in the sixteenth century. The word has the general meaning of ‘country bumpkin’, an awkward, clownish fellow, and the Shakespearean vocative use is unusual. ‘You lout’ is more normal, and is expressive of contempt. ‘Liar! Lout! Thickskulled farmer’s boy!’ says one boy to another in Henry Williamson’s Dandelion Days.

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

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  • Lout — Développeur Jeffrey H. Kingston Dernière version 3 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lout — Entwickler Jeffrey H. Kingston Aktuelle Version 3.38 (15. Oktober 2008) Betriebssystem Plattformunabhängig Programmier­sprache C …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • lout — lout·ish; lout; lout·ish·ly; lout·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • Lout — (lout), v. i. [OE. louten, luten, AS. l[=u]tan; akin to Icel. l[=u]ta, Dan. lude, OHG. l[=u]z[=e]n to lie hid.] To bend; to box; to stoop. [Archaic] Chaucer. Longfellow. [1913 Webster] He fair the knight saluted, louting low. Spenser. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lout — Lout, v. t. To treat as a lout or fool; to neglect; to disappoint. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lout — lout1 [lout] n. [prob. < or akin to ME lutien, to lurk < OE lutian, akin to lutan: see LOUT2] an awkward, ill mannered person; boor vt. Obs. to treat with contempt; flout loutish adj. loutishly adv. loutishness n. lout2 [lout] vi., vt …   English World dictionary

  • Lout — Lout, n. [Formerly also written lowt.] A clownish, awkward fellow; a bumpkin. Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lout — [laut] n [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: Perhaps from Old Norse lutr bent down ] a rude, violent man = ↑yob >loutish adj ▪ loutish behaviour >loutishly adv >loutishness n …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • lout — [ laut ] noun count FORMAL an unpleasant young man who behaves badly, especially in public => LAGER LOUT …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • lout — ► NOUN ▪ an uncouth or aggressive man or boy. DERIVATIVES loutish adjective. ORIGIN perhaps from archaic lout «to bow down» …   English terms dictionary

  • lout — (n.) 1540s, awkward fellow, clown, bumpkin, perhaps from a dialectal survival of M.E. louten (v.) bow down (c.1300), from O.E. lutan bow low, from P.Gmc. *lut to bow, bend, stoop (Cf. O.N. lutr stooping, which might also be the source of the… …   Etymology dictionary

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