Churl
/tʃɜːrl/noun
A rude, ill-bred, or surly person.
Did you know?In Old English, a *ceorl* was not a villain at all but an ordinary free man; over centuries, the word slid downward in status until it became an insult for a coarse, boorish person.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*karilaz
“a man, male person, or free man”
Old English
OE
ċeorl
“a free peasant, common man, or man of lower rank”
Old Norse
ON
karl
“a man; later, an ordinary man”
Middle English
ME
churl
“a peasant, rustic, or low-born man”
Modern English
English
churl
“a rude, surly, or boorish person”