Lout Once Meant to Bow Down
A lout is an uncouth person. The Old English verb meant to bend low in respect.
A lout is a rough, awkward or ill-mannered person. Old English *lutan* meant to bow or stoop, and the insult probably grew from the image of someone habitually bent — a rustic labourer, stooping at work. The word for showing respect became a word for lacking it. *Lout* is closely tied to *lubber*, a clumsy person, which gives the nautical *landlubber* for someone useless at sea.
- An uncouth person. *A drunken lout.*
- To bow (archaic). *Lutan.*
- Loutish — boorish. *Loutish.*
- Lubber — a related word. *A landlubber.*
- Old English — *lutan*, to bow. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lout | A lout. |
| Plural | louts | Louts. |
| Adjective | loutish | Loutish. |
| Related | lubber | A lubber. |
| Old English | lutan | To bow. |
- A lout blocked the doorway.Person.
- Loutish behaviour.Adjective.
- Lutan meant to bow.Etymology.
British words for a boor
- Lout — rough and ill-mannered
- Oaf — from an Old Norse word for a changeling
- Boor — from Dutch *boer*, a farmer
- Churl — Old English for a free peasant
- All four began as words for rural people
Probably from Old English *lutan*, to bow or stoop, recorded as an insult from the 1500s.
Did lout always mean an oaf?
No. The Old English verb meant to bow or stoop. The insult grew from the image of someone habitually bent at labour.
What is a landlubber?
A nautical term for someone clumsy or inexperienced at sea, from lubber, a close relative of lout.