Charver
/ˈtʃɑː.və(r)/noun
A young person, especially a teenager, in North-Eastern English slang.
Did you know?Charver is often linked to Romani čhavo, but the connection is debated; its close relative “chav” later became a national British class label with a very different, pejorative force.
Etymological Timeline
19th–20th Century
Romani
čhavo
“Boy, youth, or young male; commonly proposed as the source of later British slang forms.”
20th Century
Northern English
charva
“A young person or youth; a regional slang form associated particularly with North-East England.”
20th Century
English dialect
charver
“A youth or young person, especially in North-Eastern speech; the ending may reflect regional reshaping of charva.”
Late 20th Century
British English
chav
“A young person, later developing into a derogatory stereotype associated with perceived working-class style or behavior.”
Modern English
English
charver
“A regional North-Eastern term for a young person, with usage and connotations varying by speaker and context.”