Where does “carls” come from?
carls (English) comes from English Carly, from English Carl, from Middle English carl, from Old English carl, from Old Norse Karl, from Proto-Norse ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ, from Proto-Germanic karilaz, from Proto-Germanic karaz — to grow old, to mature.
carls (English): plural of carl
Ancestry of “carls”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Carly | — |
| 2 | English | Carl | A student at Carleton College, Minnesota |
| 3 | Middle English | carl | — |
| 4 | Old English | carl | a freeman, a man of middle rank or social class;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | Karl | — |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | karilaz | free man, franklin; little man, young man |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | karaz | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |