Girl Once Meant a Child of Either Sex
A girl is a female child. In Middle English the word covered boys as well.
A girl is a female child or young woman. In Middle English the word meant a child of either sex, and a male child could be specified as a *knave girl*. It narrowed to females only in the 1500s. Its earlier history is unknown — no convincing source has been found in any related language, which is unusual for such a basic word. *Boy* has a similarly murky origin and once meant a servant of any age.
- A female child. *A young girl.*
- A child of either sex (archaic). *A knave girl.*
- Girlhood. *Girlhood.*
- Boy — equally obscure. *A boy.*
- Middle English — *gyrle*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | girl | A girl. |
| Plural | girls | Girls. |
| Adjective | girlish | Girlish. |
| Noun | girlhood | Girlhood. |
| Middle English | gyrle | A child. |
- The girl read by the window.Child.
- It once meant any child.History.
- Its origin is unknown.Etymology.
Common words with no known origin
- Girl — no convincing source in any related language
- Boy — equally disputed, once meaning a servant
- Dog — replaced hound with no traceable ancestry
- Bad — appears in Middle English from nowhere
- Big — the same, in the 1300s
Middle English *gyrle*, a child of either sex, of unknown origin.
Did girl always mean a female child?
No. In Middle English it meant a child of either sex, and narrowed to females in the 1500s.
Where does the word come from?
Nobody knows. No convincing ancestor has been found, which is unusual for such an everyday word.