scoundrel
pronunciation
How to pronounce scoundrel in British English:
UK [ˈskaʊndrəl]
How to pronounce scoundrel in American English:
US [ˈskaʊndrəl]
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- Noun:
- a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
Word Origin
- scoundrel (n.)
- 1580s, skowndrell, of unknown origin. One suggestion is Anglo-French escoundre (Old French escondre) "to hide, hide oneself," from Vulgar Latin *excondere, from Latin condere "to hide" (see abscond). The main objection to this theory is that hundreds of years lie between the two words.
Example
- 1. Patriotism , far from being " the last refuge of the scoundrel , " is indispensable .
- 2. He is not to put too fine a point on it , a thorough scoundrel .
- 3. Samuel johnson the great english author once quipped that " patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel . "
- 4. One side of today 's political spectrum looks upon it with suspicion and distrust , echoing samuel johnson 's witticism that " patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel . "
- 5. When the crying doesn 't stop , I go get myself a notebook and a pen ( last refuge of a scoundrel ) and I sit once more beside the toilet .