Comparative form of 'churlish'; more rude, impolite, or discourteous than something else.
Formed from 'churlish' by adding the comparative suffix '-er' (from Old English '-ra'). Many one-syllable and two-syllable adjectives in English use '-er' for comparatives rather than 'more.'
English has two competing systems for comparatives—'-er' inherited from Germanic roots ('bigger,' 'colder,' 'churlier') and 'more' borrowed from Romance languages—and we use both simultaneously, with unclear rules about which words take which.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.