noun
Meaning 1
A dull, stupid fellow; a lout.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
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noun
A dull, stupid fellow; a lout.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A lazy person; an idler
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Likely from Middle French lourdin (“dull, obvious; clownish”) (related to lourdat (“dunce”), lourdade (“wench”)), from Middle French lourd (“heavy”), from Old French lourt, from Late Latin lurdus, possibly of Germanic origin. Cognate with Dutch loerd, French lourdant, Scottish Gaelic lurdan, this last apparently possessing a more knavish, roguish sense. Another etymology mentioned by Samuel Johnson is that the word may derive from the Gascon town of Lourdes (earlier called Lorde or Lourde) in Southern France, at one time known for being home to unskillful robbers; the characterization of the robbers as unusually awkward and heavy lending to the preexisting Latin word.