useless fellow; down-and-out person
Archaic term for a person of no worth or a person who has fallen into ruin. Not used in modern Japanese.
In old documents, 徒人 is read as いたずらびと and refers to a useless person.
Archaic sense; possibly a euphemistic or extended use. Extremely rare.
In some old examples, 徒人 can mean a dead person.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 徒 (vain, futile) and 人 (person) combine to suggest a worthless person, but the historical origin of the reading いたずらびと is unclear.