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View synonyms for churl

churl

[ churl ]

noun

  1. a rude, boorish, or surly person.
  2. a peasant; rustic.
  3. a stingy person; miser; skinflint:

    He was a churl in his affections.

  4. English History. a freeman of the lowest rank.


churl

/ tʃɜːl /

noun

  1. a surly ill-bred person
  2. archaic.
    a farm labourer
  3. a variant spelling of ceorl
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of churl1

First recorded before 900; Middle English cherl, Old English ceorl “male human being, man, freeman (of the lowest class)”; cognate with Dutch kerel, German Kerl “guy, fellow, chap”; akin to carl
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Word History and Origins

Origin of churl1

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

It promised December after December of piqued arguments and cascading overreactions, churls chiming in from all sides, with no argument essentially lame.

Only a churl would lament the existence of these testaments to the out-of-nowhere potential of a great pop hit.

And you’d have to be a churl not to like it.

Fondness for the Brown years is a niche sentiment in British politics, but only the churls deny that he was a substantial figure.

But you’d be an awful churl to insist upon making the argument.

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