ˈchərl, -ə̄l, -əil noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English cherl, churl, from Old English ceorl man, husband, freeman of the lowest rank; akin to Old High German karal man, husband, Old Norse karl, Greek gerōn old man, gēras old age — more at corn
1.
a. obsolete : a male person : man , husband
b. : villein , serf , bondman
2. in early England : a man without rank : a man in the lowest rank of freemen below the earl and thane : yeoman 2a
3. : rustic , countryman , peasant
not framed for village churls, but for high dames and mighty earls — Sir Walter Scott
4.
a. : a person (as a rustic) who is ungracious, mean, ill-bred, and rude
the boy might well believe this churl was lying — George Meredith
b. : a stingy, grasping, and morose person
when a few words can rescue misery … I hate a man who can be a churl of them — Tobias Smollett
Synonyms: see boor