Bounder

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual noted for their boorish conduct and moral inadequacies
2. A person known for rude behavior and a lack of ethical standards
3. Someone who acts with dishonesty and poor manners, showing no regard for proper conduct

Etymology: The most striking thing about "bounder" is that its main sense has nothing to do with rudeness at all. The word is a plain English formation: "bound" (to leap or spring) with the suffix "-er", so a bounder was originally one who bounds, a leaper or jumper. Its later sense of an ungentlemanly, dishonest man is one of those meanings that drifted far from the verb it came from. A second, more speculative thread runs through Anglo-Indian usage. One possible source for the rude sense is "bandar", the Hindi word for "monkey", which entered English through Indian English. The idea is that a boorish, scampering fellow was likened to a monkey, and the sound of "bandar" merged with "bounder". This link is uncertain, and it is best treated as a possibility rather than established fact.

Synonyms: cad, rogue, scoundrel

Antonyms: gentleman, honorable person