Definition of 'girl'
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
girl in British English
▶ USAGE The use of girl as in meaning 4, to refer to a woman of any age, is highly likely to be considered old-fashioned
or to cause offence
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Low German Göre boy, girl
Word Frequency
girl in American English
(ɡɜːrl)
noun
USAGE Just as many mature men, even young men, resent being referred to as boys, many adult women today are offended if referred to as girls, or the less formal gals. Such terms as the girls in reference to a group of women, girl or gal friday in reference to a female secretary or assistant, and bachelor girl in reference to an unmarried woman are now widely regarded as offensive, and working girl in the sense “a woman who works” is declining in use.3.
a daughter
My wife and I have two girls
4. informal, sometimes offensive
a grown woman, esp. when referred to familiarly
She's having the girls over for bridge next week
5.
girlfriend; sweetheart
6. often offensive
a female servant
7. usually offensive
a female employee
9. See girls
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME gurle, girle, gerle child, young person; cf. OE gyrela, gi(e)rela, item of dress, apparel (presumably worn by the young in late OE period, and hence
used as a metonym)]Synonyms of 'girl'
Trends of
girl
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In other languages
girl
- American English: girl /ˈgɜrl/
- Arabic: بِنْت
- Brazilian Portuguese: menina
- Chinese: 女孩
- Croatian: djevojčica
- Czech: dívka
- Danish: pige
- Dutch: meisje
- European Spanish: chica
- Finnish: tyttö
- French: fille jeune femme
- German: Mädchen
- Greek: κορίτσι
- Italian: ragazza
- Japanese: 少女
- Korean: 소녀
- Norwegian: jente
- Polish: dziewczyna
- European Portuguese: menina
- Romanian: fată
- Russian: девочка
- Latin American Spanish: muchacha
- Swedish: flicka
- Thai: เด็กหญิง, เด็กสาว
- Turkish: kız
- Ukrainian: дівчина
- Vietnamese: con gái nữ
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girl
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Definition of girl from the Collins English Dictionary
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