Puffian

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A disreputable or ruffian individual known for wrongful behavior and degenerate actions; someone who is characterized as a scoundrel or a rogue who engages in dubious activities
2. An unscrupulous person exhibiting behavior typical of a scallywag or miscreant; a figure often associated with petty crime and troublemaking
3. Describing a person who displays thuggish tendencies or a penchant for unruly conduct; one who embodies the qualities of a villain or troublemaker

Etymology: The root is a verb meaning to puff or blow, imitative of the sound of breath forced out. Old English had several such words built on puffing sounds, and they tend to carry ideas of inflation and empty noise. The noun sense, a dishonest petty troublemaker, most likely grew from that picture of blowing and swelling. A person who puffs and bluster is all wind and no substance, and the connection is probably metaphorical rather than a fixed, documented chain. The exact path from the verb to this meaning is uncertain.

Synonyms: bully, thug, ruffian, brute, tough

Antonyms: gentleman, peacemaker, pacifist