lout

Etymology 1

Of dialectal origin, likely from Middle English louten (“to bow, bend low, stoop over”) from Old English lutian from Proto-Germanic *lutōną. Cognate with Old Norse lútr (“stooping”), Gothic 𐌻𐌿𐍄𐍉𐌽 (lutōn, “to deceive”). Non-Germanic cognates are probably Old Church Slavonic лоудити (luditi, “to deceive”), Serbo-Croatian lud and Albanian lut (“to beg, pray”).

noun

1. A troublemaker, often violent; a rude violent person; a yob.
2. A clownish, awkward fellow; a bumpkin.

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To treat as a lout or fool; to neglect; to disappoint.

Etymology 2

From Middle English louten, from Old English lūtan, from Proto-Germanic *lūtaną. Cognate with Old Norse lúta, Danish lude (“to bend”), Norwegian lute (“stoop”), Swedish luta.

verb

1. (intransitive, archaic) To bend, bow, stoop.