lass
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /læs/
rhymes: -æs
Forms: form: lasses
Etymology: From Middle English las, lasce, lasse (“female infant or child; young woman”), probably from Proto-Norse *laskwa (“unmarried”, adjective).
Cognates
Scots lass, lassie
Senses: examples: text: Come and dance, ye lads and lasses!
text: [T]heyr founders soules / Haue lost theyr beade rolles, / The mony for theyr masses / Spent amonge wanton lasses; […]
ref: 1521–1522, John Skelton, “Here after Followeth a Litel Boke Called Colyn Cloute, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 327, lines 423–426:
text: Ste[phano]. Is it ſo braue a Laſſe? / Cal[iban]. I [i.e., aye] Lord, ſhe vvill become thy bed, I vvarrant, / And bring thee forth braue brood.
ref: 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 12, column 2:
text: This is the prettieſt Lovv-borne Laſſe, that euer / Ran on the greene-ſord: […]
ref: c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], page 292, column 2:
text: The laſs i' th' red petticoat ſhall pay for all. Young men anſvver ſo vvhen they are chid for being ſo prodigal and expenſive, meaning they vvill get a vvife vvith a good portion, that ſhall pay for it.
ref: 1678, J[ohn] Ray, “An Alphabet of Joculatory, Nugatory and Rustick Proverbs”, in A Collection of English Proverbs […], 2nd edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] John Hayes, printer to the University, for W. Morden, →OCLC, pages 80–81:
text: [P]ray vvhich is the little Laſs that intends to be a Gentlevvoman?
ref: 1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 8:
text: Let the toaſt paſs, drink to the laſs, / I vvarrant ſhe'll find an excuſe for the glaſs.
ref: 1777 May 8 (first performance), [Richard Brinsley Sheridan], The School for Scandal; a Comedy; […], Dublin: [s.n.], published 1780, →OCLC, Act III, scene [ii], page 40:
text: But one there is, the loveliest of them all, / Some sweet lass of the valley, looking out / For gains, and who that sees her would not buy?
ref: 1799–1805 (date written), William Wordsworth, “Book VIII. Retrospect.—Love of Nature Leading to Love of Man.”, in The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet’s Mind; an Autobiographical Poem, London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 208:
text: [S]he was the bonniest lass in our parochine and the neest till't.
ref: [1819, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter XI, in Tales of My Landlord, Third Series. […], volume I (The Bride of Lammermoor), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, pages 309–310:
text: He was fond of a lass and fond of a glass, and fond of a ran-dan; […]
ref: 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Black Andie’s Tale of Tod Lapraik”, in Catriona, London; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson & Sons, →OCLC, page 172:
text: My audience to this not-too-easy operation was a small group of Scottish school lasses, who seemed (perhaps naturally) to find the proceedings somewhat mysterious, but at any rate amusing. I wished they would go away, but they didn't, so I had to get on with the job to the accompaniment of a background of giggles!
ref: 1952 February, H[enry] C[yril] Casserley, “Permanent Wayfarings”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 77:
synonyms: word: babe
word: bint
word: bird
word: cake
word: chick
word: colleen
word: cutty
word: damoiselle
word: damsel
word: elrig
word: frail
word: gal
word: gel
word: girl
word: girlie
word: girly
word: grill
word: hottie
word: lass
word: lassie
word: little girl
word: maggie
word: maid
word: maid child
word: maiden
word: minoress
word: miss
word: missy
word: moggy
word: poppet
word: pucelle
word: puss
word: quean
word: tart
word: wan
word: wench
word: woman child
word: babe
word: baggage
word: bim
word: bint
word: bird
word: bitch
word: blone
word: broad
word: chick
word: covess
word: dame
word: donna
word: feme
word: femme
word: femoid
word: frau
word: frow
word: gal
word: gentlelady
word: ginch
word: hen
word: ho
word: huwoman
word: lady
word: maness
word: mort
word: mulier
word: placket
word: pussy
word: queen
word: she
word: sheila
word: skirt
word: squaw
word: thot
word: tía
word: twist
word: vaginoid
word: wan
word: wife
word: woman
word: wommon
word: womon
word: womxn
word: womyn
word: wimmin
coordinate_terms: lad
glosses: A girl; also (by extension), a young woman.
examples: text: Jenny Hill, a pale, overwrought, pretty Salvation lass of 18, comes in through the yard gate, leading Peter Shirley, a half hardened, half worn-out elderly man, weak with hunger.
ref: 1905, [George] Bernard Shaw, “Major Barbara”, in John Bull’s Other Island and Major Barbara: Also How He Lied to Her Husband, London: Archibald Constable & Co., published 1907, →OCLC, Act II, page 216:
synonyms: word: babe
word: bint
word: bird
word: cake
word: chick
word: colleen
word: cutty
word: damoiselle
word: damsel
word: elrig
word: frail
word: gal
word: gel
word: girl
word: girlie
word: girly
word: grill
word: hottie
word: lass
word: lassie
word: little girl
word: maggie
word: maid
word: maid child
word: maiden
word: minoress
word: miss
word: missy
word: moggy
word: poppet
word: pucelle
word: puss
word: quean
word: tart
word: wan
word: wench
word: woman child
word: babe
word: baggage
word: bim
word: bint
word: bird
word: bitch
word: blone
word: broad
word: chick
word: covess
word: dame
word: donna
word: feme
word: femme
word: femoid
word: frau
word: frow
word: gal
word: gentlelady
word: ginch
word: hen
word: ho
word: huwoman
word: lady
word: maness
word: mort
word: mulier
word: placket
word: pussy
word: queen
word: she
word: sheila
word: skirt
word: squaw
word: thot
word: tía
word: twist
word: vaginoid
word: wan
word: wife
word: woman
word: wommon
word: womon
word: womxn
word: womyn
word: wimmin
coordinate_terms: lad
glosses: A girl; also (by extension), a young woman.
A female member of the Salvation Army; a hallelujah lass.
examples: text: But firſt him ſeemed fit, that vvounded Knight / To viſite, after this nights perillous paſſe, / And to ſalute him, if he vvere in plight, / And eke [also] that Lady his faire louely laſſe.
ref: 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 388:
text: It vvas a Louer, and his laſſe, / VVith a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, / That o're the greene corne feild did paſſe, / In the ſpring time, the onely pretty rang [ring] time, / VVhen Birds do ſing, hey ding a ding, ding.
ref: c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 205, column 2:
text: The youthfull Bull muſt vvander in the VVood; / Behind the Mountain, or beyond the Flood: / […] / VVith tvvo fair Eyes his Miſtreſs burns his Breaſt; / He looks, and languiſhes, and leaves his Reſt; / Forſakes his Food, and pining for the Laſs, / Is joyleſs of the Grove, and ſpurns the grovving graſs.
ref: 1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 106, lines 329–330 and 333–336:
text: There might ye ſee the pioney ſpread vvide, / The full-blovvn roſe, the ſhepherd and his laſs, / Lap-dog and lambkin vvith black ſtaring eyes, / And parrots vvith tvvin cherries in their beak.
ref: 1785, William Cowper, “Book I. The Sofa.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC, page 3:
text: The love Leeby bore for Jamie was such that in their younger days it shamed him. […] "Hoo is your lass?" they used to cry to him, inventing a new game.
ref: 1889, J[ames] M[atthew] Barrie, “Leeby and Jamie”, in A Window in Thrums, London: Hodder and Stoughton, […], →OCLC, page 166:
synonyms: word: babber
word: babe
word: precious
word: bae
word: baby
word: babycakes
word: bubba
word: bully
word: buttercup
word: cabbage
word: chickabiddy
word: chickadee
word: chuck
word: cupcake
word: cutie
word: dag
word: darling
word: dear
word: dear heart
word: dearest
word: dearie
word: dearling
word: doll
word: doodlebug
word: dove
word: duck
word: ducky
word: dumpling
word: fam
word: heart
word: heartface
word: heartling
word: heartmate
word: hinny
word: hon
word: honey
word: honey bun
word: honeybunch
word: honeybug
word: honeybunny
word: honeycakes
word: honeypie
word: jewel
word: jo
word: kidder
word: lambchop
word: lambkin
word: lass (archaic except UK
word: dialectal (chiefly Geordie
word: Wearside)
word: informal or poetic)
word: liefling
word: little one
word: love
word: lovebug
word: loveling
word: lovie
word: luvvy
word: m'dear
word: miting
word: moppet
word: mopsy
word: mouse
word: muffin
word: muss
word: old bean
word: old sport
word: pally
word: pet
word: petal
word: poppet
word: pug
word: pumpkin
word: pussums
word: pussy
word: sausage
word: schnookums
word: shug
word: snicklefritz
word: snookums
word: snuggums
word: squishy
word: sug
word: sugar
word: sugar baby
word: sugar beet
word: sugar-plum
word: sugarpie
word: sweet pea
word: sweetcheeks
word: sweetheart
word: sweetie
word: sweetie pie
word: sweets
word: sweetling
word: treasure
word: woobie
coordinate_terms: lad
glosses: A sweetheart.
examples: text: […] I'll tell ye that after we are done wi' our supper, for it will may be no be sae weel to speak about it while that lang-lugged limmer o' a lass is gaun flisking in and out o' the room.
ref: 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter VI, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC, page 101:
english: […] I'll tell you that after we are done with our supper, for it will maybe not be so well to speak about it while that long-eared rogue of a maidservant is going capering in and out of the room.
translation: […] I'll tell you that after we are done with our supper, for it will maybe not be so well to speak about it while that long-eared rogue of a maidservant is going capering in and out of the room.
bold_translation_offsets: 142
153
text: [S]ure aneugh, the lass washed clottered blood aff the carpet the neist day.
ref: [1824 June, [Walter Scott], “Letter XI. The Same [Darsie Latimer] to the Same [Alan Fairford].”, in Redgauntlet, […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 234:
text: She fleyed Johnnie awa' frae the door when he was for daffin' wi' the serving lasses.
ref: [1927 July, John Buchan, “The Black Wood by Day”, in Witch Wood, London: Hodder and Stoughton, published August 1927, →OCLC, page 90:
glosses: A female servant; a maid, a maidservant.
examples: text: As fair art thou, my bonie laſs, / So deep in luve am I; / And I will luve thee ſtill, my Dear, / Till a' the ſeas gang dry.
ref: [1794, Robert Burns, “A Red, Red Rose”, in Songs, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, volume IV, Kilmarnock, Scotland: […] James M‘Kie, published 1869, →OCLC, stanza 2, page 210:
text: "Hi, Juno, lass—hi, old girl; down, Daph, down," said Wardle, caressing the dogs.
ref: 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “A Pleasant Day, with an Unpleasant Termination”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC, page 188:
glosses: A term of address for a woman, or a female animal.
Derived terms: buffer lass
currency lass
hallelujah lass
lassie
lasslorn
lassock
lassy
our lass
wor lass