Carle
/kɑːrl/noun
An archaic or Scots word for a man, especially a peasant, rustic, or low-status laborer.
Did you know?Carle belongs to the same Germanic naming tradition as Carl and Charles, showing how a word for an ordinary man became associated with kings and emperors.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*karlaz / *karilaz
“A man, male, or free person; the precise origin is debated.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
karl
“A man, husband, or ordinary freeman, contrasted with a nobleman or thrall.”
Old English
Old English
ceorl
“A free peasant or ordinary freeman, below the nobility but above an enslaved person.”
Middle English
Middle English
carle
“A rustic, peasant, or common man; the word could carry a contemptuous sense.”
Modern English
English
carle
“An archaic or Scots term for a man, rustic, or peasant.”