Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

churlish

/ˈt͡ʃɝːlɪʃ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.19 in modern English

Syllables
churl-ish
IPA
/ˈt͡ʃɝːlɪʃ/
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic.

adj

Stingy or grudging.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *karaz Proto-Germanic *karilaz Proto-West Germanic *karil Old English ċeorl Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Old English ċeorlisċ Middle English cherlisch English churlish From Middle English cherlisch, cherlissh, from late Old English ċeorlisċ, ċierlisċ (“of or pertaining to churls”), equivalent to churl + -ish. Piecewise doublet of ceorlish.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: cherlisch, ċeorlisċ

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈt͡ʃɝːlɪʃ/
  • British English: /ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/

Inflected Forms

more churlish (comparative) most churlish (superlative)

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

churl churldom churled churlhood churlishly churlishness

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce churlish?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɝːlɪʃ/.
What does churlish mean?
Of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic.
Where does churlish come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce churlish

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “churlish”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈt͡ʃɝːlɪʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “churlish”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “churlish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.