A knave is an old-fashioned term for a dishonest, untrustworthy, or unprincipled person—essentially a scoundrel, rogue, or rascal. The term, often used in literature like Shakespeare, emphasizes baseness of character. It also refers to the Jack card in a deck.
Such a person earns the disapprobation from his peers that a knave deserves. Instead, as time goes by one becomes a knave, someone who routinely acts unjustly, and who therefore acquires the reputation of being a knave. So would he have subscribed to the view that professionals might be knaves?
A lad, a garcon, a servant. (Anglo-Saxon, cnáfa; German, knabe.) The knave of clubs, etc., is the son or servant of the king and queen thereof. In an old version of the Bible we read: “Paul, a knave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,” etc.
🔵 Knave Meaning - Knave Examples - Knave Defined - Literary English - Knave
What kind of person is a knave?
The term knave refers to a person who is deceitful, dishonest, or untrustworthy. Historically, calling someone a knave could lead to legal action, as it was considered a serious accusation.
having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous. She's so naive she believes everything she reads. He has a very naive attitude toward politics. having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered lowly, 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.
In the Sicilian Tarot deck, the knaves are unambiguously female, and are likewise known as maids. As this deck also includes queens, it is the only traditional set to survive into modern times with two ranks of female face cards.
Geezer: A significantly aged old man. In the UK, it is a slang term used most often to refer simply to a "man" or "guy". Geriatric: Offensive slang only when used in a non-medical context.
Britannica Dictionary definition of PALLY. not used before a noun [more pally; most pally] chiefly British, informal. : very friendly. He got very pally [=chummy] with the manager. We've been pally for years.
If you had to differentiate between them, male children were referred to as 'knave girls' and females were 'gay girls'. Equally, a boy could be called a 'knave child' and a girl a 'maiden child'.
Some common synonyms of naive are artless, ingenuous, natural, and unsophisticated. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.
Additionally, it is worth noting that intelligent individuals may sometimes lean towards naivety because they believe that their understanding alone can solve any problems posed by the cunning and foolish.
The word nave comes from the Latin navis, meaning "ship." If you think of the central space of a big Gothic church with its high vaulted ceiling, it does kind of form the shape of a ship, doesn't it? The nave is the area where the congregation sits.
The word originally (in Old English) meant 'boy, servant', and then generally someone of low social status; in Middle English, the sense of 'dishonest or unscrupulous man' developed. The playing-card sense is recorded from the middle of the 16th century.
The word 'naive' may mean simplicity of nature, unsophisticated, inexperienced, lacking judgement, or lacking formal training,Or Innocent. 'Naive' though not inherently 'bad',tends to carry negative connotations,is taken mostly as a negative word.
