/ ˈblægɑːd; NAmE -gɑːrd/ noun
( old-fashioned , BrE ) a man who is dishonest and has no sense of what is right and what is wrong
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WORD ORIGIN
early 16th cent. (originally as two words): from black + guard . The term originally denoted a body of attendants or servants, especially the domestic servants who had charge of kitchen utensils, but the exact significance of black is uncertain. The sense scoundrel, villain dates from the mid 18th cent., and was formerly considered highly offensive.