Kerl

Borrowed from German Kerl.

Kerl (plural Kerls)

1. A surname from German.

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Kerl is the 35812^th 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.

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Kerl”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 295.

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

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)

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.

• IPA^(key): /kɛʁl/, [kɛʁl], [kɛɐ̯l]

• Audio

  (file)

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

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

• 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”).

• Dreckskerl
• Hauptkerl
• Ker (regional)
• Mistkerl
• Scheißkerl

• Typ m

• “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

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

• IPA^(key): /kʰɛl/

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)

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Kerl

1. Charles