cad
[kad]
- an ill-bred man, especially one who behaves in a dishonorable or irresponsible way toward women.
- British Archaic.
- a local town boy or youth, as contrasted with a university or public school student.
- a servant at a university or public school.
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Origin of cad
1780–90; short for caddie, (in the sense “a person who runs errands and does odd jobs”)
Synonyms
See more synonyms for cad on Thesaurus.com1. bounder, rotter, rascal, rogue; heel.
CAD
[kad]
- computer-aided design.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cad
Contemporary Examples
Lift Tickets: Adult three-day passes begin at around $200 (CAD), depending on whenyou visit.
By the time of this third episode of Season 1, we were well aware of Don as a liar, cad, and adulterer.
The 10 Most Essential TV Episodes From ‘Sopranos,’ ‘Breaking Bad,’ and MoreBrett Martin
June 30, 2013
A few minutes later she watched as the cad tore his hair out screaming on his front lawn.
From a jealous weatherman to a Canadian cad, WATCH VIDEO of the cringe-worthy men of The Bachelorette.
Ali Fedotowsky is the latest reality star looking for love, but instead she found a jealous weatherman and a Canadian cad.
Historical Examples
"I may be pretty rotten, but I'm not that kind of cad," said he.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
Wasn't that cad of a Bordenave going to go off the hooks after all?
It was on her soil and through her influence that a silly woman had married a cad.
Where Angels Fear to TreadE. M. Forster
I was a cad to play about your fireplace––quite wrong––and you had to make me realize it.
The Gorgeous GirlNalbro Bartley
The first time—it was the act of a cad—but I worked it all out.
Love and LucyMaurice Henry Hewlett
cad
- British informal, old-fashioned a man who does not behave in a gentlemanly manner towards others
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Word Origin
C18: shortened from caddie
CAD
- computer-aided design
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for cad
n.
1730, shortening of cadet (q.v.); originally used of servants, then (1831) of town boys by students at British universities and public schools (though at Cambridge it meant "snob"). Meaning "person lacking in finer feelings" is from 1838.
A cad used to be a jumped-up member of the lower classes who was guilty of behaving as if he didn't know that his lowly origin made him unfit for having sexual relationships with well-bred women. [Anthony West, "H.G. Wells: Aspects of a Life," 1984]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper