carl

The word “carl” means an old-fashioned word for a rough or ill-mannered man; a churl. In plain terms, mainly known today as a male given name; its older sense meant a coarse, common man.

“Carl” is pronounced kahl (/kɑɹl̩/ in IPA).

Here is “carl” used in a sentence: “The old text describes the innkeeper as a surly carl.”

Depending on how it is used, “carl” can be a noun and a name.

The word “carl” comes from Old Norse. From Old Norse karl ("man, husband"), a doublet of the English word "churl.".

“Carl” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Carl” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an old-fashioned word for a rough or ill-mannered man; a churl.

Both are old words for a low-born, rough, or ill-mannered man, and 'carl' is essentially a variant of 'churl.' 'Churl' is the more familiar spelling today, while 'carl' is now rare and mostly archaic or dialectal.

They share a spelling but differ in use. As a common noun, 'carl' is an old-fashioned word for a rough man; as a proper noun, Carl is a male given name and a variant of Charles.

Carl and Karl are closely related forms of the same name, with 'Karl' more common in German and Scandinavian usage and 'Carl' common in English. Both are variants of Charles.

No. The old word for a rough or ill-mannered man is a common noun and written in lowercase, as in 'a surly carl.' The given name Carl is a proper noun and always capitalised.