Kerl
/kɛʁl/noun
A German informal word for a man, fellow, or guy, sometimes implying a strong or rough character.
Did you know?Kerl, English churl, and the name Charles are historically connected through an ancient Germanic word associated with an ordinary man or free person.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*karlaz
“Man or male person; the precise original social sense is debated.”
Old High German
OHG
karal
“Man or husband.”
Middle High German
MHG
kerl
“Man, fellow, or person.”
16th–17th Century
German
Kerl
“A man or fellow, often with an informal or slightly rough nuance.”
Modern English
English loanword
Kerl
“A rare borrowing from German meaning a man, fellow, or guy.”