Word of the Day : July 7, 2019

churlish \CHUR-lish\ adjective

Definition

1 : of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl : vulgar

2 : marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : surly  

3 : difficult to work with or deal with : intractable

Did You Know?

It is easy to understand how churlish has come to mean "vulgar," "surly," and "intractable"—if you know your English history. In Anglo-Saxon England, a churl, or ceorl, was a freeman of the lowest rank who owned and cultivated a small farm. He had certain rights and had upward mobility to rise to the rank of thane. After the Norman Conquest, however, many churls became serfs, a change in status that meant losing not just social mobility but geographical mobility as well. The lowest rungs of a social system often serve as inspiration for a language's pejoratives, and churl eventually came to be used as a term for a rude, ill-bred person.

Aired July 7, 2019

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