A Scottish or Northern English dialect word for a girl or young woman, sometimes used disparagingly.
From Scottish English or Northern dialect, possibly derived from 'callet' or influenced by Scandinavian languages. This gendered pair with 'callan' (boy) shows how dialects preserve distinctions that standard English has lost.
The words 'callan' and 'callat' reveal how Scottish dialect maintained separate gendered terms for young people—a linguistic feature that faded in most modern English dialects.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.