girl

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɜɹl/

Reading level: easy

Estimated CEFR level: A1 — Beginner

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a young woman
  2. noun a youthful female person
  3. noun a female human offspring

Etymology

From Middle English gerle, girle, gyrle (“young person (boy or girl)”), perhaps from Old English *gyrele, from Proto-West Germanic *gurilā, from a zero-grade diminutive of *gaurā (“young child”) + *-ilā. Ultimately of unknown origin. Doublet of gal/gyal and gyaru. Cognates Cognate with Yola gurl (“child, girl”), German Gör, Göre (“brat, cheeky young child”), Low German Gör (“child”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

miss, missy, young lady, young woman, fille

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
woman
Narrower (hyponyms)
mill-girl, lass, dame, tomboy, working girl, rosebud

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