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churl

[ churl ]
/ tʃɜrl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR churl

noun

a rude, boorish, or surly person.
a peasant; rustic.
a stingy person; miser; skinflint: He was a churl in his affections.
English History. a freeman of the lowest rank.

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Origin of churl

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

Words nearby churl

churchy, churchyard, churchyard beetle, churidars, churinga, churl, churlish, churn, churn drill, churning, churn molding
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to churl

rustic, clodhopper, oaf, tightwad, beast, provincial, peasant, yokel, miser, niggard, chuff, mucker

Example sentences from the Web for churl

British Dictionary definitions for churl

churl
/ (tʃɜːl) /

noun

a surly ill-bred person
archaic a farm labourer
a variant spelling of ceorl

Word Origin for churl

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