noun
carl
kahl
noun
1
An old-fashioned word for a rough or ill-mannered man; a churl.
"The old text describes the innkeeper as a surly carl."
name
1
A male given name, a variant of Charles.
"Carl studied engineering before switching to music."
How to Use Carl
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMainly known today as a male given name; its older sense meant a coarse, common man.
Easily confused with
churl
Word Forms
carled past tense, carls plural, Carls plural, Carls plural, carls singular
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Etymology
From Old Norse karl ("man, husband"), a doublet of the English word "churl."