lurdane
lurdane noun: a lazy, stupid person; a sluggard.
Noun
lurdane (plural lurdanes)
- A lazy, stupid person; a sluggard.
- I have also seene some excellent Lourdans, or Clownes attired in their ordinary worky-day clothes, and with a common homely countenance, affoord us all the pleasure that may be had from their art[…].1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 10, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
- Remember, father Glover, your trade keeps your eyes and hands close employed, and must have your heedful care, even if this lazy lurdane wrought at it, which you know yourself he seldom does.1828, Walter Scott, The Fair Maid of Perth
Forms of lurdane
| plural | lurdanes |
|---|---|
| alternative form | lordane |
| alternative form | lourdan |
| alternative form | lurdan |
| alternative form | lurden |
Origin of lurdane
From Middle French lourdin (“dullard”), from lourd (“heavy”). The Puritan, Rev Joseph Caryl, commenting in 1666 in volume 12 of his Exposition upon the Book of Job, page 363, on Job 39:9, describing the Unicorn or Wild Ox, says that the Unicorn does no work but expects no wages nor reward from you, "which may be a reproof to those men, who are very unwilling to serve others, yet are very willing to abide by their Crib; they like it well to eat and drink upon you, as long as you will, and possibly whether you will or no, but will not do a stroke of work; such as one we call proverbably a Lurdane, from the lazy Danes, who long since Lording it in this Kingdom, would eat and drink in a good well-stored house, but refused to labour."
Questions about lurdane
- What does lurdane mean?
- Lurdane means a lazy, stupid person; a sluggard.
- What part of speech is lurdane?
- Lurdane is a noun.
- What is the plural of lurdane?
- The plural of lurdane is lurdanes.
Words near lurdane in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lurdane (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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