# girl
## English
### Alternative forms

* gal (colloquial)
* gel (British, slang)
* girle, gyrle (obsolete)
* gorl (Internet slang)
* grrrl, grrl (slang)
* guhrl, gurl (nonstandard)
* gworl (slang)
* gyal (MLE, MTE)

### Etymology

From Middle English gerle, girle, gyrle (“young person (boy or girl)”), perhaps from Old English *gyrele, from Proto-West Germanic *gurilā, from a zero-grade diminutive of *gaurā (“young child”) +‎ *-ilā. Ultimately of unknown origin. Doublet of gal/gyal and gyaru.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈɡɜːl/, (obsolete) /ˈɡɛəl/, /ˈɡɪəl/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈɡɜɹl/, [ˈɡɝəɫ]
* (New Zealand) IPA: /ˈɡɵːl/, [ˈɡʏw]
* (Scotland) IPA: /ˈɡɪɾəl/, [ˈɡɪɾəɫ]
* (Indic) IPA: /ɡɜːʳl/, (non-rhotic) /ɡarl/
** (South India, dialectal) IPA: [ɡɜːɭ]
* (Canada) IPA: /ɡɜɹl/, [ɡɚ(ɹ)ɫ]
** (Ottawa Valley) IPA: [ɡəɹ(ə)l]
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)l
* Homophone: Guirl

### Noun

girl (countable and uncountable, plural girls)
* A young female human, or sometimes a young female animal.
* (sometimes offensive, see usage note) A woman, especially a young and often attractive woman.
* (colloquial) A term of address to a female (see usage notes)
    Synonyms: girlie, lass, lassie
** 1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 10:"My dear girl, what has he done?" said Mrs. Mallowe, sweetly. It is noticeable that ladies of a certain age call each other "dear girl," just as commissioners of twenty-eight years' standing address their equals in the Civil List as "my boy."
** 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section I, pages 5–6:'Now, girls,' continued Healey, 'you're very high-spirited and that's as it should be but I won't have you getting out of hand. […]' […] Setting a spatted foot on the bench that ran down the middle of the changing-room with elegant distain, Adrian began to flip through a pile of Y-fronts and rugger shorts with his cane.
* One's girlfriend.
** 1922, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Girl from Hollywood:There isn't any guy going to steal my girl!
** 1996, Elizabeth Wong, Kimchee and Chitlins: A Serious Comedy about Getting Along, page 74:I took my girl to the cinema to watch your American movies.
** 2012, Taylor Swift, “Girl at Home”, in Red‎, performed by Taylor Swift:Don't look at me, you got a girl at home And everybody knows that, everybody knows that, ah-ah Don't look at me, you got a girl at home And everybody knows that
* One's daughter.
    Your girl turned up on our doorstep.
* A female non-human animal, especially, in affectionate address, a female pet, especially a dog.
** 2025 March 9, Australian Cattle Dog Rescue‎:Sheila – 9yo Blue Cattle Dog x. Lovely girl seeks forever home.
* (somewhat childish) (as a modifier) A female (tree, gene, etc).
    Are you getting a boy cat or a girl cat?
** 1950, Pageant:Are there “boy” trees and “girl” trees? Yes. A number of species, among them the yew, holly and date-bearing palm, have their male and female flowers on different trees. The male holly, for instance, must be planted fairly close to the female ...
** 1970 [earlier 1963], Helen V. Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, Helen Van Pelt's African Violets, Dutton Adult (→ISBN):
    Of the 100 percent total, 25 will have two girl genes, 50 will have one boy and one girl gene, and 25 will have two boy genes.
** 1972, GSN Gesneriad Saintpaulia News: African Violets, Gloxinias, Other Gesneriads and Exotic Plants:When there are two "girl" genes the plant is a girl dwarf.
* (informal) A machine or vehicle, especially one that the speaker uses often and is fond of.
** 1917 June 29, Les Enfant, “The Trials of Commuter Jones—a Would-Be Pumber”, in Metal Worker, Pumber, and Steam Fitter, volume 87, number 26, page 874:Daly came, delved into the old girl's inner works, and had her working in jig time.
** 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:“Quiet, everyone!” said Dad as he tried desperately to start the car. GRRR… GRRR… GRRR… Instead of shuddering into life, Queenie let out a low, grinding noise. “Oh no,” said Dad. “What?” asked the boy. “The engine must have flooded when she went upside down. The poor old girl won’t start again now for hours. We’re going to have to walk.”
** 2013, Rose George, Deep Sea and Foreign Going:The tired old girl was listing heavily in the heavy seas.
** 2024, William Halford, POR! Prince of Borland, page 58:I ran to my car and jumped in. "Come on, girl, start for me, baby!"
* A female servant; a maid. (see usage notes)
    Synonyms: char, charlady, charwoman, maid, maiden, maidservant, womanservant
* (US, slang, uncountable) Cocaine, especially in powder form.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cocaine
** 1969, Iceberg Slim, Pimp: The Story of My Life, Cash Money Content, published 2011, →ISBN, page 43:She had taught me to snort girl, and almost always when I came to her pad, there would be thin sparkling rows of crystal cocaine on the glass top of the cocktail table.
** 1977, Odie Hawkins, Chicago Hustle, Holloway House, published 1987, →ISBN, page 175:Elijah nodded congenially to the early evening regulars in the Afro Lounge, headed straight for the telephone hung midway between the mens and womens, his nose smarting from a couple thick lines of recently snorted girl.
** 2005, K'wan, Hoodlum, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 185:After about an hour or two of half-ass sex and snorting girl, Honey was zoned out. […] She flexed her still numb fingers, trying to find a warmth that didn't seem to come. Cocaine always made her numb.
** 2016 July 22, “Bussin” (track 3), in Fenix Flexin (lyrics), Shoreline Mafia (music), Party Pack‎:Catch me playing with the plate, yeah I love the sauce White girl in my nose, I need to clean it off
** For more quotations using this term, see Citations:girl.
* (card games, slang, uncommon) A queen (the playing card).
* (UK, dialect, obsolete) A roebuck two years old.
* (obsolete) A child of any gender.

#### Usage notes

* (any woman, regardless of her age): An adult calling an unfamiliar grown woman a "girl" may be considered either a compliment or an insult, depending on context and sensibilities. In some cases, the term is used as a euphemism for virgin, to distinguish a female who has never engaged in sexual intercourse (a "girl") from one who has done so (and is a woman). Even if the word "girl" in most cases is not meant to be derogatory, it may still be patronising sometimes, especially when used to address someone older than oneself.
* (term of endearment): When used as a term of endearment, it can be used for someone female or, in some contexts, for someone male, such as the use within the gay community.

#### Derived terms

* acegirl
* air-girl
* all-girls
* altar girl
* antigirl
* apegirl
* Asian baby girl
* as the next girl
* atta girl
* attagirl
* away-day girl
* baby girl
* bad girl
* bagel girl
* ball girl
* bargirl
* bar girl
* batgirl
* beachgirl
* beach-girl
* beach girl
* bellgirl
* best girl
* b-girl
* B-girl
* big girl
* big girl pants
* big-girl pants
* big girl's blouse
* biogirl
* birl
* birthday girl
* Bond girl
* bottle girl
* bottom girl
* boy-girl
* boy meets girl
* boy-meets-girl
* boy or girl paradox
* boys and girls
* bruh girl
* bunny girl
* bus girl
* busgirl
* business girl
* callgirl
* call-girl
* call girl
* cam girl
* camgirl
* canary girl
* candy girl
* career girl
* carton girl
* catgirl
* cat girl
* cat-girl
* cavegirl
* champagne girl
* charity girl
* chill girl
* choir girl
* choirgirl
* chorus girl
* chorus-girl
* cigarette girl
* cisgirl
* city girl
* clean girl
* college girl
* comfort girl
* conyo girl
* copygirl
* cover girl
* cover-girl
* cowgirl
* cry like a little girl
* curls for the girls
* cute girls doing cute things
* cybergirl
* cyclops girl
* daddy's girl
* Daddy's girl
* dairygirl
* dancing-girl
* dancing girl
* daygirl
* demigirl
* diamonds are a girl's best friend
* dice girl
* dickgirl
* dirty girl
* dreamgirl
* e-girl
* Essex girl
* everygirl
* failgirl
* fake geek girl
* fancy girl
* fangirl
* farm girl
* farmgirl
* final girl
* flower girl
* fluff girl
* friendgirl
* friend girl
* gal
* genetic girl
* gentlegirl
* g-girl
* G-girl
* girl band
* girlboss
* girl-boy
* girlcation
* girlchik
* girlchild
* girlcock
* girlcott
* girl crazy
* girl crush
* girl-crush
* girldick
* girl dinner
* girldom
* girleen
* girlery
* girlfag
* girlfailure
* girl Friday
* girl-friend
* girl friend, girlfriend
* girl-friendly
* girlgasm
* girl goo
* girl grip
* girl group
* Girl Guides
* girlhood
* girl-hour
* girlie
* girlie girl
* girlification
* girl in every port
* girlish
* girlism
* girlitis
* girl juice
* girlkind
* girlless
* girllike
* girllove
* girllover
* girl math
* girlmeat
* girlmode
* girl-mode
* girlness
* girl next door
* girl-next-door
* girl parts
* girl power
* girlproof
* girl push-up
* girl racer
* girl rented overnight
* girls and boys
* girl scout
* Girl Scouts
* girl's girl
* girlswear
* girls with guns
* girl talk
* girl trouble
* girltwink
* girlwatcher
* girlwatching
* girl wonder
* girly
* girly girl
* girlzine
* glamour girl
* gock
* go-go girl
* golden girl
* good girl
* goodtime girl
* good-time girl
* good time girl
* grandgirl
* green girl
* grid girl
* grool
* grrrl
* haul girl
* head girl
* hello girl
* hollaback girl
* homegirl
* Honeygirl
* honeygirl
* horse girl
* hot girl summer
* housegirl
* ice girl
* idiot girl
* I'm a girl
* I'm a trans girl
* Indian boys and girls
* International Day of the Girl
* International Day of the Girl Child
* item girl
* It girl
* janegirl
* jeep girl
* Jersey girl
* Jewgirl
* joy girl
* juicy girl
* kanto girl
* KTV girl
* land girl
* lazy girl job
* leathergirl
* lift girl
* little girl
* little girls room
* lovergirl
* lt-girl
* lucky girl syndrome
* magical girl
* manic pixie dream girl
* match-girl
* matchgirl
* mean girl
* mergirl
* miss girl
* missing white girl syndrome
* modern girl
* monster girl
* mudflap girl
* muscle girl
* musclegirl
* nautch girl
* nautch-girl
* needle-girl
* needle girl
* newsgirl
* niggergirl
* nursegirl
* office girl
* oh girl
* old girl
* page-three girl
* page three girl
* papergirl
* paper girl
* party girl
* pick-me girl
* pissgirl
* pizza girl
* playgirl
* plowgirl
* pom-pom girl
* pompom girl
* ponygirl
* poor little rich girl
* poster girl
* postgirl
* pot-girl
* practice girl
* pussygirl
* ranchgirl
* reply girl
* ring girl
* riot girl
* riot grrrl
* rollergirl
* salesgirl
* sarong party girl
* schoolgirl
* scullery girl
* sea-girl
* second girl
* serving girl
* shipgirl
* shoeshine girl
* shopgirl
* showgirl
* singing girl
* sistergirl
* skingirl
* sky girl
* slave girl
* slave-girl
* slavegirl
* snowgirl
* soft girl
* spacegirl
* sporting girl
* sportsgirl
* stable girl
* stockgirl
* street girl
* Sunday girl
* supergirl
* Surrey girl
* sweater girl
* switchgirl
* telephone girl
* TG girl
* TG-girl
* tg-girl
* t-girl
* t-girl, tgirl
* that girl
* that's a girl
* the girl next door
* three-way girl
* tomgirl
* trans girl
* trans girl, transgirl
* TS girl
* Valley girl
* valley girl
* valley-girl
* van-girl
* V-girl
* vice girl
* victory girl
* video girl
* VSCO girl
* walk-on girl
* water girl
* weathergirl
* whipping girl
* white girl
* whitegirl
* white-girl wasted
* who's a good girl
* woman and girl
* wondergirl
* woo girl
* workgirl
* working girl
* ya girl
* young girl
* your girl
English terms starting with “girl”

#### Descendants

* Jamaican Creole: gyal, gal
** → English: gal; gyal
*** → Icelandic: gella
*** → Japanese: ギャル (gyaru)
**** → English: gyaru
* Tok Pisin: gel
* →⇒ Finnish: kiltsi
* → French: girl; gow
* → German: Girl
* → Hungarian: görl
* → Japanese: ガール (gāru)

#### Translations

Abkhaz: аҧҳəызба (apḥəəzba), аӡӷаб (adzğab)
Adyghe: пшъашъэ (pŝaŝɛ)
Afar: awka
Afrikaans: meisie (af)
Aklanon: deaga
Albanian: vajzë (sq), çikë (sq) f, gocë (sq) f, cucë (sq) f, voce (sq) f
Aleut: asxinux, ayaĝaadax̂
Alutor: лйаӈи (ljaŋi)
Alviri-Vidari:
Vidari: کنگ (kaneg)
Amharic: ሴት ልጅ f (set ləǧ), ልጃገረድ (ləǧagäräd)
Arabic: بِنْت f (bint), فَتَاة f (fatāh), طِفْلة f (ṭifla) (child)
Chadian Arabic: بنية (bineyya)
Egyptian Arabic: بنت f (bent)
Moroccan Arabic: بنت f (bent), درية f (derreya)
Egyptian Arabic: بنت f (bint), فتاة f (fatā), صبيّة f (ṣabiyya, ṣabiyye)
Armenian: աղջիկ (hy) (aġǰik)
Aromanian: featã
Assamese: ছোৱালী (süali)
Asturian: neña (ast) f, ñena f
Avar: яс (jas)
Azerbaijani: qız (az)
Baluchi: جنک (jinik, janik)
Bashkir: ҡыҙ (qıź)
Basque: neska (eu)
Bavarian: Dirndl, Mädl, Madli, Deandl, Meudl
Belarusian: дзяўчы́на f (dzjaŭčýna), дзе́ўчына f (dzjéŭčyna), дзяўча́ f (dzjaŭčá) (child), дзяўчы́нка f (dzjaŭčýnka) (child)
Bengali: মেয়ে (bn) (meẏe)
Bhojpuri: लइकी (laikī)
Breton: plac'h (br) f
Budukh: риж (riž)
Bulgarian: момиче́ (bg) n (momičé), дево́йка (bg) f (devójka), мома́ (bg) f (momá), моми́ченце n (momíčence) (child), дево́йче n (devójče) (child)
Burmese: သူငယ်မ (my) (su-ngaima.), မိန်းကလေး (my) (min:ka.le:), ကောင်မလေး (my) (kaungma.le:) (little girl)
Buryat: басаган (basagan)
Carpathian Rusyn: дівча f (divča)
Catalan: noia (ca) f, nena (ca) f (little girl), xiqueta (ca), al·lota (ca) f
Central Franconian: Mädsche
Central Siberian Yupik: neveghsaq
Central Sierra Miwok: kolí-
Chechen: йоӏ (joˀ)
Cherokee: (adolescent) ᎠᏔᏄᏣ (atanutsa)
Chickasaw: chipota tiik
Chinese:
Cantonese: 女仔 (neoi$^5$ zai$^2$), 細路女 / 细路女 (sai$^3$ lou$^6$ neoi$^{5-2}$) (child)
Dungan: нүзы (nüzɨ), гўнён (gwni͡on), ятур (i͡atur), нүвазы (nüvazɨ)
Hakka: 細妹仔 / 细妹仔 (se-moi-é)
Hokkien: 查某囡仔 (zh-min-nan) (cha-bó͘ gín-á)
Mandarin: 女孩兒 / 女孩儿 (zh) (nǚháir), 女孩子 (zh) (nǚháizi), 姑娘 (zh) (gūniang), 女兒 / 女儿 (zh) (nǚ'ér), 丫頭 / 丫头 (zh) (yātou) (colloquial, deprecating or endearing)
Wu: 囡兒 / 囡儿
Chiricahua: ’it’éeké, jeekȩ́n
Chukchi: ӈээккэӄэй (ṇėėkkėqėj)
Cimbrian: diirna f
Coptic:
Bohairic: ϣⲉⲣⲓ f (šeri)
Sahidic: ϣⲉⲉⲣⲉ f (šeere)
Crimean Tatar: qız
Czech: holka (cs) f, děvče (cs) n, dívka (cs) f, holčička (cs) f (child)
Danish: pige (da) c
Darkinjung: mirkan
Dolgan: кыыс
Dutch: meisje (nl) n, meid (nl) f
Egyptian: (zꜣt f), (šrjt f)
Elfdalian: kulla f
Erzya: тейтерь (tejteŕ)
Eshtehardi: تیتی f (titiya)
Esperanto: knabino (eo)
Estonian: tüdruk (et), plika (et)
Even: асаткан (asatkan)
Evenki: асаткан (asatkan), хунат (hunat)
Ewe: nyɔnuvi
Faroese: genta (fo) f
Finnish: tyttö (fi)
French: fille (fr) f, jeune fille (fr) f, fillette (fr) f
Friulian: frute f, frutate f
Galician: nena (gl) f, meniña (gl) f, moza f, rapaza f, rapariga f
Georgian: გოგო (ka) (gogo), გოგონა (gogona)
German: Mädchen (de) n, (regional) Mädel (de) n
Alemannic German: Goof f, Maidle, Maitli, Meitle, Meidschi, Modi, Meetle, Meitji, Moadle, Meiki
East Central German: Madel (Silesian), Mädel (Silesian)
Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌸𐍃 f (magaþs), 𐌼𐌰𐍅𐌹 f (mawi), 𐌼𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐍉 f (mawilō)
Greek: κορίτσι (el) n (korítsi)
Ancient: κόρη f (kórē), κοράσιον n (korásion)
Greenlandic: niviarsiaq
Guaraní: kuñataĩ, mitãkuña
Haryanvi: छोरी (chorī)
Hausa: yarinya
Hawaiian: kaikamahine (child), wahine ʻōpio (young woman)
Hebrew: יַלְדָּה f (yaldá) (child), נַעֲרָה (he) f (na'ará) (teens or twenties)
Hiligaynon: babaye (of any age), dalaga (adolescent or older and unmarried)
Hindi: लड़की (hi) f (laṛkī), कन्या (hi) f (kanyā), युवती f (yuvtī), बालिका (hi) f (bālikā), किशोरी (hi) f (kiśorī)
Hiri Motu: kekeni
Hungarian: lány (hu)
Icelandic: stúlka (is) f, stelpa (is) f
Ido: yunino (io), puerino (io)
Indonesian: anak perempuan, gadis (id)
Ingrian: tyttö
Ingush: йоӏ (joˀ)
Interlingua: puera (child), pupa
Inupiaq: niaqsaaʁruk
Irish: cailín (ga) m
Old Irish: banmacc m
Italian: bambina (it) f (child), ragazza (it) f (adolescent)
Japanese: 女の子 (ja) (おんなのこ, onna no ko), 少女 (ja) (しょうじょ, shōjo), 女子 (ja) (じょし, joshi), 乙女 (ja) (おとめ, otome)
Jicarilla: ch’eekéé
Kabyle: ⵜⴰⵇⵛⵉⵛⵜ (taqcict)
Kalasha: istrížagúạk
Kalmyk: күүкн (küükn)
Kamba: mwiitu
Kamta: (Koch Rajbangsi) চেংৰী (ceṅri)
Kashmiri: کوٗر (ks) (kūr), لٔڑکی (ks) (lạḍkī), کٔٹ (ks) (kạṭ)
Kashubian: dzéwczã n
Kazakh: қыз (kk) (qyz)
Khmer: ក្មេងស្រី (kmeeng srəy)
Khoekhoe: ǀgôas
Kikuyu: karĩgũ class 12 (uncircumcised and small), karĩĩgũ class 12 (uncircumcised and small), kĩrĩgũ class 7 (uncircumcised teenager), mũirĩtu class 1 (circumcised), mũirĩĩtu class 1 (circumcised)
Korean: 소녀(少女) (ko) (sonyeo), 여자(女子)아이 (ko) (yeojaai), 녀자(女子)아이 (nyeojaai) (North Korea)
Krio: titi
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: کچ (ckb) (kiç)
Northern Kurdish: keç (ku), keçik (ku) f
Kyrgyz: кыз (ky) (kız)
Ladin: muta f
Lakota: wičhíŋčala
Lao: ເດັກຍິງ (dek nying), ເດັກຜູ້ຍິງ (dek phū nying), ຍິງສາວ (nying sāo), ຍັງສາວ (nyang sāo), ກຸມາລິ (ku mā li)
Latgalian: meitine f, mārga f
Latin: puella (la) f
Latvian: meitene (lv) f, meiča f (colloquial), skuķis m (colloquial), skuķe f (colloquial)
Laz: კულანი (ǩulani), ბოზო (bozo)
Lezgi: руш (ruš)
Limburgish: maedje (li) n, maedske n
Lithuanian: mergina f, mergaitė f
Livonian: neitški
Lombard: tósa f, tusa f
Louisiana Creole French: fiy
Luganda: omuwala
Luo: nyathina
Luxembourgish: Meedchen (lb) n
Macedonian: чупе n (čupe), девојка (mk) f (devojka), девојче n (devojče) (child)
Malagasy: tovovavy (mg)
Malay: gadis
Malayalam: പെൺകുട്ടി (peṇkuṭṭi)
Maltese: tfajla f
Manchu: ᡤᡝᡤᡝ (gege)
Maori: taitamāhine, kōhine (young woman), hine, kōtiro, kōhaia, tamahine (mi)
Marathi: मुल्गी f (mulgī)
Maricopa: mshhay
Mazanderani: کیجا (kijâ)
Meru: mwari
Mingrelian: ძღაბი (ʒɣabi), ცირა (cira)
Mizo: hmeichhe naupang, nula
Mòcheno: diarn f
Mohawk: eksà:ʼa
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: охин (mn) (oxin)
Mongolian: ᠥᠬᠢᠨ (ökin)
Moroccan Amazigh: ⵜⴰⵔⴱⴰⵜ (tarbat)
Motu: kekeni
Mwani: mwari
Naga Pidgin: chokri
Navajo: atʼééd
Neapolitan: peccerella f, nenna f
Nepali: केटी (ne) (keṭī)
Norman: hardelle f (Jersey)
North Frisian: (Föhr-Amrum) foomen f
Norwegian:
Bokmål: jente (no) m or f, pike (no) m or f
Nynorsk: jente f, jenta f
O'odham: cehia
Occitan: dròlla (oc) f, drolleta f (child), gojata (oc) f (teens or twenties), filha (oc) f
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: дѣва f (děva), дѣвица f (děvica)
Old Czech: dievka f
Old English: mæġden n
Oromo: dubara
Ossetian: чызг (ḱyzg)
Ottoman Turkish: بنت (bint), دختر (duhter), قیز (kız)
Pali: kaññā f
Pannonian Rusyn: дзивка f (dzivka), дзивчатко n (dzivčatko) (little girl)
Pashto: نجلۍ (ps) f (nǰələi), ووړکۍ f (worrkəi)
Persian:
Dari: دُخْتَر (duxtar)
Iranian Persian: دُخْتَر (doxtar)
Plautdietsch: Mejal f, Mäakjen n
Polish: dziewczyna (pl) f, dziewczę (pl) f (formally), dziewa (pl) f (archaic), dziewczynka (pl) f (child), dziołcha (pl), dziewoja (pl), dziewczę (pl), dziewka (pl), dzieweczka (pl) f
Portuguese: garota (pt), menina (pt) (child), moça (pt) (youngster), rapariga (pt) (Portugal)
Punjabi: ਕੁੜੀ (pa) (kuṛī)
Quechua: taski
Rhine Franconian: Maadche
Romani: ćhaj f (Romani), rakli f (non-Romani)
Kalo Finnish Romani: tšai f (Romani), rakli f (non-Romani)
Vlax Romani: ćhej f (Romani), rakli f (non-Romani)
Romanian: fată (ro) f, copilă (ro) f (child)
Russian: де́вушка (ru) f (dévuška), де́вочка (ru) f (dévočka) (child), девчо́нка (ru) f (devčónka), деви́ца (ru) f (devíca)
Sami:
Inari: nieidâ
Northern: nieida
Skolt: nijdd
Southern: nïejte
Samoan: teine (sm)
Sanskrit: बाला (sa) f (bālā), कन्या (sa) f (kanyā)
Scots: lassie
Scottish Gaelic: caileag (gd) f (child), nighean (gd) f (child, adolescent), nighneag (gd), nìonag (gd) f (child)
Seraiki: چُھوہِر (skr) f (chūhir)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: дѐво̄јка f, дјѐво̄јка f
Roman: dèvōjka (sh) f, djèvōjka (sh) f
Sidamo: seemo
Silesian: dziołcha f, frela f
Sirenik: náẋserráẋ
Slovak: dievča (sk) n, dievčatko n (child)
Slovene: dekle (sl) n, deklica (sl) f (child), punca f
Somali: inan
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: źowćo n
Upper Sorbian: dźowćo n
Spanish: niña (es) f (child), muchacha (es) f (teens or twenties), chica (es) f (teens or twenties), (Chile) cabra (es) f, (Mexico) chamaca (es) f, (Spain, Chile, Argentina) lola (es) f, (Argentina) nena (es) f, (Chile) chiquilla (es) f
Sumerian: 𒆠𒂖 (KI.SIKIL)
Svan: დინა (dina)
Swabian: Mädle, Fehl, Fohl, Boscha
Swahili: msichana (sw), mwari (sw)
Swedish: flicka (sv) c, tjej (sv) c, jänta (sv) c, tös (sv) c
Sylheti: ꠙꠥꠞꠤ (furi), ꠍꠥꠞꠉꠤ (súrogi)
Tagalog: babae (tl) (of any age), batang babae (child), dalaga (adolescent or older and unmarried)
Tajik: духтар (tg) (duxtar)
Talysh:
Asalemi: کله (kəla)
Tamil: சிறுமி (ta) (ciṟumi), பெண் (ta) (peṇ)
Taos: upę̀yuʼúna
Tarifit: taḥenjirt f
Tashelhit: tafruxt, tafruxt (tafruxt)
Tatar: кыз (tt) (qız)
Telugu: అమ్మాయి (te) (ammāyi), కన్య (te) (kanya), బాలిక (te) (bālika), పిల్ల (te) (pilla)
Thai: เด็กผู้หญิง (th) (dèk-pûu-yǐng), เด็กหญิง (th) (dèk-yǐng), เด็กสาว (dèk-sǎao)
Tibetan: བུ་མོ (bu mo)
Tupinambá: kunhãta'ĩ (child), kunhãmuku (adolescent)
Turkish: kız (tr)
Turkmen: gyz
Tuvan: уруг (urug), кыс (kıs)
Tzotzil: tseb
Udmurt: нылмурт (nylmurt)
Ugaritic: 𐎔𐎙𐎚 (pġt)
Ukrainian: ді́вчина (uk) f (dívčyna), дівчи́на (uk) f (divčýna), ді́вчинка f (dívčynka) (child), дівча́ n (divčá) (child), дівча́тко n (divčátko) (child)
Urdu: لَڑْکی f (laṛkī)
Uyghur: قىز (qiz)
Uzbek: qiz (uz)
Venetan: tóxa f, toxata f
Veps: neičukaine, neižne
Vietnamese: cô gái (vi), con gái (vi), gái (vi)
Vilamovian: miöed
Volapük: jicil (vo)
Walloon: båshele (wa) f, feye (wa) f
Welsh: bachgennes f, geneth (cy) f
West Frisian: famke (fy) n, faam (fy) c
Western Apache: at’eedn, at’een, it’eedn, it’een, it’éédn, it’één, (-na’ilį’) na’ilín, (collective) it’ídé, at’eedn
Wiradjuri: migay
Yakut: кыыс (kııs)
Yámana: čule-kipa
Yiddish: מיידל n or f (meydl)
Yucatec Maya: chʼúupal
Yup'ik: neviarcaq
Zazaki: kena :
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### References

* ↑ “girl(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007: “?OE *gyrela, from earlier *gurw-”.
* ↑ Friedrich Kluge (1989) “Gör”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 272
* ↑ Torp, Alf (1919) “Gorre”, in Nynorsk Etymologisk Ordbok, Oslo: H. Aschehoug and Co. (W. Nygaard), page 176
* ↑ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎, volumes I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 12.63, page 351.

### Verb

girl (third-person singular simple present girls, present participle girling, simple past and past participle girled)
* (transitive) To feminize or girlify; to gender as a girl or as for girls.
** 2005, Leerom Medovoi, Rebels: Youth and the Cold War Origins of Identity, page 293:Quite different is the way in which the tomboy girled the rebel narrative. In recent years, queer theorists have taken a deep interest in the tomboy as a prefigure for the butch dyke.
** 2011, Stephanie Harzewski, Chick Lit and Postfeminism:One can argue that the genre “yuppified” the popular romance novel or perhaps “girled” the not especially gender-specific concept of the young urban professional.
* (somewhat informal) To staff with or as a girl or girls.
** 1949, The New Yorker:Making our way past a one-girl switchboard temporarily girled by two frantic operators, we found the victorious president, Elliott A. Bowles, barely visible behind a heap of telegrams [...]
** 1961, The Georgia Review:Her first shock came when the ship on which she and her husband arrived was met by three boats “girled” by “great, splendid creatures, as tall as our millionaires' tallest daughters, and as strong-looking as any of our college-girl athletes,” ...
** 1986, Marcus Cunliffe, The Literature of the United States, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Penguin Books, →ISBN:She and her Altrurian diplomat husband, arriving there by sea, are greeted by flower-laden boats, each not manned, but girled by six rowers, who pulled as true a stroke as I ever saw.
** 2009, Linda Howard, Night Moves: Dream Man/After the Night, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 220:To her disappointment, the chatty Carlene DuBois wasn't behind the desk; instead it was manned—or girled—by a frothy little blonde who barely looked old enough to be out of high school.

### See also

* miss

### Anagrams

* LIRG, gril

## French
### Etymology

From English girl. Doublet of gow.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡœʁl/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

girl f (plural girls)
* dancing girl

### Further reading

* “girl”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Scots
### Etymology

Metathesis of grill (“shudder (with horror, dread, etc), shiver (as on hearing a grating sound”), from Old Scots gril, from Middle English grillen (“shudder, quake, be afraid; enrage”), from Old English griellan, grillan (“offend, annoy; gnash one's teeth at”).

### Verb

girl
* to shiver or shudder
** For quotations using this term, see Citations:girl.
* to tingle unpleasantly, when hearing a grating noise or biting into an acidic or unripe fruit
** For quotations using this term, see Citations:girl.