Truant

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɹuːənt/

Definitions

1. Referring to a student who is absent without permission or justification from school
2. Describing someone who avoids responsibilities or obligations through deliberate absence
3. Characterizing an individual who neglects duties, especially in an educational context, by not attending classes

Etymology: The word began as a insult for beggars and rogues, not for schoolchildren. In Old French, "truand" meant a beggar, vagabond or rogue, and English borrowed it in the Middle Ages as "truant," used for mendicant friars, wanderers and worthless scoundrels. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it is probably Celtic, with possible links to Breton "truan" meaning "wretched" and Irish "trogha" meaning "destitute." The shift toward absence from duty came gradually. Middle English also formed the verb "truaunten," which meant to beg fraudulently, to behave like a rogue, or to neglect a duty, and the idea of idling or shirking took hold from there. By the time the word described a pupil skipping lessons, its original sense of a wandering beggar had faded almost entirely.

Synonyms: absentee, delinquent, skipper, fugitive, deserter

Antonyms: attendee, student, participant, member, regular