churl

noun

ˈchər(-ə)l

Synonyms of churl next

: ceorl

: a medieval peasant

: rustic, countryman

: a rude ill-bred person

: a stingy morose person

Examples of churl in a Sentence

as far as he was concerned, anyone from outside the city was a backwater churl don't bother asking for donations at that house—the churl who lives there believes that charity begins and ends at home

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The churl’s view. —

Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 July 2021 But the cartoonish executive in Episode 1 will require a Grinch-like turnaround to become anything but a clownish churl. —

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2022 Only a churl would lament the existence of these testaments to the out-of-nowhere potential of a great pop hit. —

Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cherl "non-noble person (whether free or bound), ill-bred person, boor, fellow," going back to Old English ceorl "male person, man, married man, countryman, member of the lowest class of freemen," going back to Germanic *kerla- "man, freeman" (whence also Old Frisian tzerl, tzirl, kerl "man, servant," Middle Dutch kerel, kerl "freeman below the rank of knight"), with a by-form *karla- (whence Old High German karl, charel "man, husband," Old Norse karl "man, commoner, old man"), of uncertain origin

Note: Compared with Tocharian B śrāy "adult male (?)" (the stem śrān- is apparently secondary; see D. Adams, A Dictionary of Tocharian B, Rodopi, 2013, p. 705) and further to Indo-European *ǵerh₂- "become old, ripen" (whence Greek gérōn "old man," Sanskrit jarant-, járan "old, decayed"—see geriatric entry 1). Guus Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013) reconstructs a proto-paradigm for the Germanic noun with a suffixal -l- and root ablaut e-ø-o; however, even if parallels for such a formation exist, an etymon "old man, elder" is a questionable starting point for the attested senses "man, low-ranking freeman," etc. The Medieval Latin name Carolus, associated with Charles Martel and later Carolingian rulers, has traditionally been identified with Germanic *karla-, though some see it as a Latinization of a Germanic name *hari-ol- (but cf. Cearl, name of an early Mercian king mentioned by Bede).

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of churl was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Churl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/churl. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

churl

noun

ˈchərl

: a peasant of the Middle Ages

: a rude or grumpy person

churlish

ˈchər-lish

adjective

churlishly adverb

churlishness noun

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

paroxysm

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

churl

noun

Synonyms

Examples of churl in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near churl

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition