Plural of carl; peasants, rustic men, or common fellows (archaic or dialectal term).
From Old Norse 'karl' (man, fellow) plus English '-s' (plural marker). The word was common in Scandinavian-influenced English areas but became archaic as modern English evolved.
The word 'carl' is why we have 'carle' as an old English word for a man—and it's still alive in Scottish dialect, where 'carls' means men or peasants, showing how regional language preserves ancient roots!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.