Cad
/kæd/noun
A man who behaves dishonorably or discourteously, especially toward women.
Did you know?The insult originally targeted a social outsider: by the 1830s, “cad” was university slang for a nonstudent or socially inferior person before developing its modern moral sense.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
capitellum
“Little head; a diminutive of caput, meaning “head””
Medieval Gascon
Gascon
capdet
“Younger son, especially a younger son of a noble family”
15th Century
French
cadet
“Younger son; later, a younger military trainee or student”
Early 19th Century
English
cadet
“A student or trainee, including a university student in slang usage”
1830s
English
cad
“A shortened form of cadet, initially referring to an outsider or nonstudent”
Late 19th Century
English
cad
“A dishonorable, vulgar, or ungentlemanly man”