Kerl

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See also: kerl

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kerl.

Proper noun

Kerl (plural Kerls)

  1. A surname from German.

Statistics

  • According to the 2010 United States Census, Kerl is the 35812th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 627 individuals. Kerl is most common among White (82.78%) and Black/African American (10.85%) individuals.

Further reading

Central Franconian

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kerl, from Old Saxon *keril, from Proto-Germanic *karilaz, from *karlaz, a variant of *karilaz.

Noun

Kerl m

  1. (Moselle Franconian / Hunsrückisch) fellow, guy, chap, bloke, man
    • 1874, Peter Joseph Rottmann, Gedichte in Hunsrücker Mundart, page 3:
      Wer sall meich dann bei die Spielleit fehre, / Wann eich naunder meine Kerl verleere? / Geh, eich wullt, datt Deich der Deiwel hätt!
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kerl, from Old Saxon *keril, from Proto-Germanic *karilaz, from *karlaz, a variant of *karilaz.

Cognate with Old High German karal. Akin to Dutch kerel, English churl, Old Norse karl, Danish karl.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɛʁl/, ,
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Kerl m (strong, genitive Kerls, plural Kerle or Kerls, diminutive Kerlchen n)

  1. fellow, guy, chap, bloke
  2. (obsolete) freeman

Usage notes

  • The normal plural is Kerle.
  • The plural Kerls is widely restricted to northern Germany. Compare a well-known former Prussian guard regiment called Lange Kerls (“tall fellows”).

Declension

Declension of Kerl
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Kerl die Kerle, Kerls
genitive eines des Kerls der Kerle, Kerls
dative einem dem Kerl den Kerlen, Kerls
accusative einen den Kerl die Kerle, Kerls

Derived terms

See also

Further reading

  • “Kerl” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “Kerl” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “Kerl” in Duden online
  • “Kerl” in OpenThesaurus.de
  • Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Kerl”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Hunsrik

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kerl, from Old Saxon *keril, from Proto-Germanic *karilaz, from *karlaz, a variant of *karilaz.

Pronunciation

Noun

Kerl m (plural Kerle)

  1. fellow, guy, chap, bloke, man
    Wer is dart där Kerl?
    Who is that guy?
    • 2020, Aesop, Piter Keo, De Wollef un das Lamm (yt):
      "Faarichsjoher, du Kerl, host-du mich gropp geschennd."
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

Old Frisian

Proper noun

Kerl

  1. Charles
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia