varlet Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
    rascal; rapscallion; scallywag; rogue; knave; scalawag.
  2. noun in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood
    page.

WordNet

Var"let noun
Etymology
OF. varlet, vaslet, vallet, servant, young man, young noble, dim of vassal. See Vassal, and cf. Valet.
Definitions
  1. A servant, especially to a knight; an attendant; a valet; a footman. Obs. Spenser. Tusser.
  2. Hence, a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal; as, an impudent varlet.
    What a brazen-faced varlet art thou ! Shak.
  3. In a pack of playing cards, the court card now called the knave, or jack. Obs.

Webster 1913