Word of the Day 9.8.9

miscreant

mis·cre·ant (mskr-nt)

n.

1. An evildoer; a villain.

2. An infidel; a heretic.

[Middle English miscreaunt, heretic, from Old French mescreant, present participle of mescroire, to disbelieve : mes-, wrongly, not; see mis-1 + croire, to believe (from Latin crdere; see kerd- in Indo-European roots).]

miscre·ant adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1.

miscreant – a person without moral scruples

offender, wrongdoer – a person who transgresses moral or civil law

degenerate, deviant, deviate, pervert – a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior

black sheep, scapegrace – a reckless and unprincipled reprobate

wretch – performs some wicked deed

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on September 8, 2009 by admin

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