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.

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Carl ² American  

[kahrl] / kɑrl /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Charles.

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carl British  

/ kɑːl /

noun

1. archaic another word for churl

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Other Word Forms

• carlish adjective
• carlishness noun

Etymology

Origin of carl

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

Example Sentences

"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

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

Lang may your elbuck jink and diddle, To cheer you through the weary widdle O’ this wild warl’, Until you on a crummock driddle A gray-hair’d carl.

From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Burns, Robert

Yer'll stop along of me till I kin carl my ringolets myself.

From A Sheaf of Corn by Mann, Mary E.