losel

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English losel (also lorel), from *losen, loren, past participle of lesen (“to lose”), equivalent to lose +‎ -le.

Pronunciation

Noun

losel (plural losels)

  1. (archaic) A worthless or despicable person, scoundrel.
    • c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 65, lines 138–140:
      Dowtles such losels
      Make the churche to be
      In smale auctoryte; […]
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
      The whiles a losell wandring by the way, / One that to bountie neuer cast his mind, / Ne thought of honour euer did assay […] .
    • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
      And, losel, thou art worthy to be hang'd.
    • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “III, The One Institution”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book IV (Horoscope):
      These thousand straight-standing firm-set individuals, who shoulder arms, who march, wheel, advance, retreat; and are, for your behoof, a magazine charged with fiery death, in the most perfect condition of potential activity: few months ago, till the persuasive sergeant came, what were they? Multiform ragged losels, runaway apprentices, starved weavers, thievish valets […]
    • 1954, Philip Larkin, Toads:
      Lots of folk live on their wits: / Lecturers, lispers, / Losels, loblolly-men, louts— / They don't end up as paupers; […]
    • 1964, Anthony Burgess, The Eve of St Venus:
      ‘Come on, you losel,’ he said to Spatchcock, ‘you privy calligrapher, you. You can carry his bottles. I’ll carry him.’

Synonyms

Derived terms

Adjective

losel (comparative more losel, superlative most losel)

  1. Worthless; wasteful.

Anagrams

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