Hypertext Webster Gateway: "arrant"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Arrant \Ar"rant\, a. [OE. erraunt, errant, errand, equiv. to E.
errant wandering, which was first applied to vagabonds, as an
errant rogue, an errant thief, and hence passed gradually
into its present and worse sense. See {Errant}.]
Notoriously or pre["e]minently bad; thorough or downright, in
a bad sense; shameless; unmitigated; as, an arrant rogue or
coward.
I discover an arrant laziness in my soul. --Fuller.
2. Thorough or downright, in a good sense. [Obs.]
An arrant honest woman. --Burton.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
arrant
adj : without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative)
intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete coward"; "a
consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross
negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a
sodding mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing
villain"; "utter nonsense" [syn: {arrant(a)}, {complete(a)},
{consummate(a)}, {double-dyed(a)}, {everlasting(a)}, {gross(a)},
{perfect(a)}, {pure(a)}, {sodding(a)}, {stark(a)}, {staring(a)},
{thoroughgoing(a)}, {utter(a)}]
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