churl

churl (chûrl)

1. A rude, boorish person. See Synonyms at boor.

2. A miserly person.

a. A ceorl.

b. A medieval English peasant.

[Middle English, from Old English ceorl, peasant.]

Word History: The word churl comes almost unchanged in meaning and pronunciation, though not in spelling, from Old English ceorl, "freeman of the lowest class." An Anglo-Saxon ceorl had a social position above a slave but below a thegn, "thane." Ceorl comes from Germanic *karilaz, whose basic meaning is "old man." In Finnish, which is not a Germanic language, the Germanic word was borrowed and survives almost unchanged as karilas, "old man." The Old Norse descendant of the Germanic word, karl, means "old man, servant," and the Old High German equivalent, karal, meaning "man, lover, husband," has become the name Karl. Middle High German karl, "freeman," was adopted into northern French as Charles, from which we have the name Charles. The Medieval Latin form Carolus is based on the Old High German karal. The fame of Carolus Magnus, "Charles the Great," or Charlemagne, added luster to the name Carolus and explains why the Slavic languages borrowed the name as their general word for "king," korol' in Russian.

churl [tʃɜːl]

1. a surly ill-bred person

2. (Historical Terms) Archaic a farm labourer

3. (Historical Terms) a variant spelling of ceorl

[Old English ceorl; related to Old Norse karl, Middle Low German kerle,Greek gerōn old man]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	churl - a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement boor, Goth, tike, tyke, barbarian, peasant disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable
	2.	churl - a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend niggard, scrooge, skinflint hoarder - a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use pinchgut - a niggardly person who starves himself (and others)
	3.	churl - a bad-tempered person crank, crosspatch, grouch, grump disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable crabby person, crab - a quarrelsome grouch hothead, fire-eater - a belligerent grouch misanthrope, misanthropist - someone who dislikes people in general

Translations

churl [tʃɜːl] N (= person) → patán m

churl

n → ungehobelter Kerl, Rüpel m

Mentioned in	?		References in classic literature	?		Dictionary browser	?		Full browser	?
boor carl Carlot Charles's Wain churlish churlishly churlishness Churly crabby person crosspatch curmudgeon disagreeable person Gnof grump hothead misanthropist niggard peasant pinchgut	He must have had some ups and downs in life to make him such a churl. Wuthering Heights by Bronte, Emily View in context ``touching the one of them, it were hard for me to render a reason for a fool speaking according to his folly; and the other churl is of that savage, fierce, intractable race, some of whom, as I have often told you, are still to be found among the descendants of the conquered Saxons, and whose supreme pleasure it is to testify, by all means in their power, their aversion to their conquerors. Ivanhoe by Scott, Walter View in context There was no play nor graceful movement of his sceptre; he kept it straight and stiff like a man unpractised in oratory--one might have taken him for a mere churl or simpleton; but when he raised his voice, and the words came driving from his deep chest like winter snow before the wind, then there was none to touch him, and no man thought further of what he looked like. The Iliad by Homer View in context	churched churchgoer Churchgoing Churchill Churchill Downs Churchill Falls Churchill River Churchillian churchism Churchless Churchlike Churchliness churchly churchman Churchmanly Churchmanship Churchship churchwarden Churchwardenship churchwoman churchy churchyard churchyard beetle churidars churinga churl churlish churlishly churlishness Churly Churme churn churn away churn out churn up churned-up churning churr churrigueresco Churrigueresque churro Churrus Churrworm Chuse chute chute-the-chute chutist chutney chutzpa chutzpah chutzpanik	churchyard Churchyard Beetle Churchyard Beetle churchyard yew Churchyard, Thomas Churchyard, Thomas churchyards Churg-Strauss syndrome Churg-Strauss syndrome Churg-Strauss syndrome Churg-Strauss syndrome Churg-Strauss syndrome Churg-Strauss vasculitis Churg-Strauss vasculitis Churg-Strauss vasculitis Churge-Strauss Vasculitis Churhc of england Churhc of england Churhc of england Churidar churidars Churikovtsy Churinga Churinga Churinga churingas churingas churingas Churkin, Nikolai Churkin, Nikolai Nikolaevich churl churlish churlish churlishly churlishly churlishness churlishness churls Churly Churme churn churn churn churn churn churn churn churn away Churn drill churn hole churn molding churn out churn out churn out churn out churn out Churn rate Churn rate Churn rate Churn rates Churn rates

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boor
carl
Carlot
Charles's Wain
churlish
churlishly
churlishness
Churly
crabby person
crosspatch
curmudgeon
disagreeable person
Gnof
grump
hothead
misanthropist
niggard
peasant
pinchgut

He must have had some ups and downs in life to make him such a churl.

Wuthering Heights by Bronte, Emily View in context

``touching the one of them, it were hard for me to render a reason for a fool speaking according to his folly; and the other churl is of that savage, fierce, intractable race, some of whom, as I have often told you, are still to be found among the descendants of the conquered Saxons, and whose supreme pleasure it is to testify, by all means in their power, their aversion to their conquerors.

Ivanhoe by Scott, Walter View in context

There was no play nor graceful movement of his sceptre; he kept it straight and stiff like a man unpractised in oratory--one might have taken him for a mere churl or simpleton; but when he raised his voice, and the words came driving from his deep chest like winter snow before the wind, then there was none to touch him, and no man thought further of what he looked like.

The Iliad by Homer View in context

churl playV2('en/US/d5/d5dgdosysdskhr');playV2('en/UK/d5/d5dgdosysdskhr')

churl