English
Kerl
Kerl comes from German Kerl ‘freeman of non-aristocratic descent’, from Proto-West Germanic *karil ‘free peasant, churl’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *karilaz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*karilaz‘free man’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*karil‘free peasant, churl’reconstructed
- Old Saxonc. 800–1200*kerilreconstructed
- Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600kerl
- Germanc. 1650–presentKerl‘freeman of non-aristocratic descent’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*karilaz‘free man’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*karil‘free peasant, churl’reconstructed
- Old Saxonc. 800–1200*kerilreconstructed
- Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600kerl
- Germanc. 1650–presentKerl‘freeman of non-aristocratic descent’
- Englishtodaysame form
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- ‘to grow old, to mature’
corn, grain, granite, grange, garner, garnet, kernel, granary, kern, granule, geriatrics, 13 more
through Proto-Germanic *karilaz ‘free man’
through Proto-West Germanic *karil ‘free peasant, churl’
Today it means
name A surname from German.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *karilaz / Kerl