lass

American  

[las] / læs /

noun

1. a girl or young woman, especially one who is unmarried.

2. a female sweetheart.

   a young lad and his lass.

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lass British  

/ læs /

noun

1. a girl or young woman

2. informal a familiar form of address for any female

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Etymology

Origin of lass

1250–1300; Middle English las, lasse, of uncertain origin

Explanation

A lass is a girl. Your Scottish folk dance teacher might announce, "Lads line up on that side, lasses on this side!" Lass is an old-fashioned way to say "young girl," and it's more common in parts of Britain than in the US. You're most likely to hear this word in Scotland and the north of England, although lass is most likely rooted in Scandinavian languages, like the Old Swedish løsk kona, "unmarried woman," or the Old Norse löskr, "idle or weak."

Example Sentences

Lass: A little bit just from seeing what was on the news, but it was not like I’ve seen in the past.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025

Donna Lass, 25, vanished in September of that year, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department explained in a Facebook post.

From Washington Times • Dec. 28, 2023

Mr Connor responded to the mayday call from his boat the Causeway Lass.

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2023

Others took a liking to the songs that originated in the region, including Bob Dylan, whose debut album, released in 1962, included “Pretty Peggy-O,” a version of the Scottish song “The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie.”

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2022

“Rule Number One. No interrupting. But anyway, so they starting calling me Lass, short for Lassie.”

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

Related Words

• colleen
• maid
• maiden