churl meaning
EN[-ɜː(r)l]WChurl
- A churl (etymologically the same name as Charles / Carl and Old High German karal), in its earliest Old English (Anglo-Saxon) meaning, was simply "a man", but the word soon came to mean "a non-servile peasant", still spelled ċeorl(e),
- This meaning held through the 15th century, but by then the word had taken on negative overtone, meaning "a country person" and then "a low fellow".
- The ċeorles of Anglo-Saxon times lived in a largely free society, and one in which their fealty was principally to their king.
- NounPLchurls
Definition of churl in English Dictionary
- Part-of-Speech Hierarchy
- Nouns
- Countable nouns
- Countable nouns
- Nouns
- en churlish
- en churls
- en churly
- en churlishly
- en churlishness
Source: Wiktionary