varlet

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
noun in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood

From Middle English varlet, varlette, from Old French varlet, variant of vadlet, vallet, vaslet. Doublet of valet.

"We are men, not varlets!" — The Gay Cockade, Temple Bailey
He passed over the "varlet." — Five Children and It, E. (Edith) Nesbit
Vile varlet, what art thou paid for? — Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor, R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore

rogue, knave, rascal, rapscallion, scalawag, scallywag

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