Rotters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe individuals perceived as despicable or morally objectionable, often with disdain
2. Referring to people who are considered untrustworthy or treacherous, typically evoking strong negative feelings
3. Denoting those who behave unethically or irresponsibly, often in a way that harms others or undermines trust

Etymology: "Rotters" is the plural of "rotter", a noun for a deeply contemptible person. The word is simply "rot" with the agent suffix "-er", so a rotter is, literally, something or someone that rots, a sense that has long since been left behind. Its path into English is less direct than its spelling suggests. The ending "-er" descends from the Latin suffix "-arius", which passed through Old French "-ier" and Middle English "-er" before English applied it to ordinary native words like "rot" and "bake". The suffix's ancestry runs back through the Old English "-ere", so the "-er" in "rotter" is a very old English element, even though the "-arius" it grew from came from Latin. That is why the word can sit so comfortably alongside native words without any sense of foreign borrowing.

Synonyms: scoundrels, rascals, villains, good-for-nothings, ne'er-do-wells