carl

¹ American  

[kahrl] / kɑrl /

Or carle

noun

1. Scot.

   1. a strong, robust fellow, especially a strong manual laborer.

   2. a miser; an extremely thrifty person.

2. Archaic. a churl.

3. Obsolete. a bondman.

---

Carl ² American  

[kahrl] / kɑrl /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Charles.

---

carl British  

/ kɑːl /

noun

1. archaic another word for churl

---

Other Word Forms

• carlish adjective
• carlishness noun

Etymology

Origin of carl

before 1000 (in compounds; see housecarl); Middle English; Old English -carl < Old Norse karl man; cognate with Old High German karl; akin to churl

Example Sentences

Without you saw him on Sunday you would take him for a Brogadeer and a spaned to a carl did not know had to draw butter.

From The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. - Volume 07 Historical and Political Tracts-Irish by Scott, Temple

"Whatna stoure carl is this," quo' the dame, "Sae gruff and sae grand, and sae feckless and sae lame?"

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume V. The Songs of Scotland of the Past Half Century by Rogers, Charles

Aye, child, and more's the pity: he is the ablest carl I have known; but Denmark has given birth to him to her own ruin.

From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Ingemann, Bernhard Severin

"Saw you the drost?" asked a soldier: "such a carl!"

From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Ingemann, Bernhard Severin

In thee will Ornulf find a stout carl, or I mistake me.

From The Vikings of Helgeland The Prose Dramas Of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. III. by Ibsen, Henrik