Charles
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /t͡ʃɑɹlz/
ipa: /t͡ʃɑ˞lz/
ipa: /t͡ʃɑːlz/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)lz
Forms: form: Charleses
Etymology: From French Charles, from Old French Charles, Carles, from Latin Carolus, from and also reinfluenced by Frankish and Old High German Karl, from Proto-Germanic *karilaz (“free man”); compare the English word churl and the German Kerl. In reference to the Ecuadorian island, a clipping of the original name King Charles's Island, granted in honor of Charles II of England.
Senses: examples: text: Charles the Great / Subdued the Saxons, and did seat the French / Beyond the river Sala, in the year / Eight hundred five.
ref: 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
text: […] there never was any person named Charles who was not an open, manly, honest, good-natured, and frank-hearted fellow, with a rich, clear, voice, that did you good to hear it, and an eye that looked at you always straight at the face, as much as to say: "I have a clear conscience myself, am afraid of no man, and am altogether above doing a mean action." And thus all the hearty, careless, 'walking gentlemen' of the stage are very certain to be called Charles.
ref: 1844, Edgar Allan Poe, Thou Art the Man:
text: […] spoke the way the English do, funny, you know? His name was Roger, I think. Or Nigel. Something like that." "How about Charles?" "Charles? Well, yes, it could have been.Charles does sound English, doesn't it? Their prince is named Charles, isn't he?"
ref: 1988, Ed McBain, The House That Jack Built, page 212:
text: That the Koch organization can even attempt this pivot to a less political and more bipartisan stance speaks to the power of what Charles and David Koch built.
ref: 2019 August 23, Chris Cillizza, “How the Koch brothers fundamentally changed modern politics”, in CNN:
text: In a statement posted on social media, Bondi said that the man, identified in court documents as 37-year-old Sean Charles Dunn, has since been fired. […] On Wednesday night, the FBI director, Kash Patel, said that Dunn had been charged with felony assault on a federal officer.
ref: 2025 August 14, Anna Betts, “Alleged DC sandwich-thrower worked at justice department, attorney general says”, in The Guardian:
glosses: A male given name from the Germanic languages.
glosses: A surname originating as a patronymic.
glosses: A hamlet in Brayford parish, North Devon district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SS6832).
glosses: A neighbourhood of Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
glosses: Synonym of Floreana: an island of Galapagos, Ecuador.
synonyms: word: Floreana
extra: an island of Galapagos, Ecuador
Synonyms: word: Chas.
Derived terms: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Charles City
Charles County
Charles Darwin's frog
Charles Mix County
Charles Sturt
Charleston
Charlestown
Charles Town
Chas.
Isle de Jean Charles
King Charles
Lake Charles
Saint Charles
St. Charles
St Charles
Related terms: word: Charley
word: Charlie
word: Chuck
word: Chucky
word: Chuckie
word: Chas
word: Chaz
word: Chip
word: Carroll
word: Cathal
sense: feminine forms
word: Carla
sense: feminine forms
word: Carly
sense: feminine forms
word: Carol
sense: feminine forms
word: Carole
sense: feminine forms
word: Carolina
sense: feminine forms
word: Caroline
sense: feminine forms
word: Callie
sense: feminine forms
word: Carrie
sense: feminine forms
word: Charlene
sense: feminine forms
word: Charlotte
sense: alternate derivation paths
word: Carlo
sense: alternate derivation paths
word: Carlos
sense: alternate derivation paths
word: Carl
sense: alternate derivation paths
word: Karl
sense: adjectival forms
word: Carolean
sense: adjectival forms
word: Caroline