Rascallion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mischievous or deceitful individual is often characterized as a scoundrel who engages in playful yet troublesome actions
2. A person known for dishonest or morally questionable behavior, often causing minor trouble or annoyance
3. An individual who acts with trickery or lack of integrity, frequently involved in mischief or deceit

Etymology: "Rascallion" is an archaic form of "rapscallion," and it is the older of the two. The word began as a playful elaboration of "rascal," a term for someone who is naughty, with the "-ion" ending added for comic effect, much as writers of the period loved to inflate ordinary words into grander-sounding ones. The result was a rascal with a bit of extra swagger to it. Over time the spelling and sound shifted. The "rascallion" form gradually gave way to "rapscallion," an alteration in which the "r" of the stem seems to have been reshaped into the cluster "rap-", so the word lost its Latinate-sounding ending and gained a more tongue-twisting, rollicking shape. Speakers may have been drawn to the sound of the new form, which suits the cheerful disreputability the word describes.

Synonyms: scoundrel, rogue, rascal, knave, villain

Antonyms: gentleman, hero, saint, upstanding citizen, virtuous person