Dictionary

lad en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /læd/
• /ləd/ (archaic, unstressed)
• /laːd/ (Northumbria)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English ladde (“foot soldier, servant; male commoner; boy”), from late Old English *ladda (attested in Old English personal byname Ladda), probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Old Norse ladd (“hose, woolen stocking; sock”), which may have undergone semantic shift to mean a term of abuse (e.g. foolish youth, youngster of lower social status, etc.); thence by connotative amelioration coming to mean any young fellow. Compare Norwegian ladd (“rough sock, woolen or felt slipper”) and the -ladd in compounds Askeladd/Askeladden (a nickname in fairy tales, "Ash Lad") and tusseladd (“nincompoop”). See also Swedish ladder (“old shoes”), lodde (“Frisian shoe”), lädder (“socks”), all said to be related to Old Norse loðinn (“hairy, shaggy, woolly”), loddi (“shaggy dog”).

Meanings

1. A boy or young man.
   • The lad, his son, had obtained a Jew's-harp, and learned to play upon it the profane airs of "Yankee Doodle," "Hail Columbia," "St. Patrick's Day," and "Auld Lang Syne." 1850, T. S. Arthur, “Deacon Smith and his Violin”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 70:
   • How great is that danger, to which poor lads are now exposed, when placed on shipboard to learn the art of sailing! Five lads, training up for the seas, were now on board this ship; […] 1776, John Woolman, chapter XI, in A Journal of the Life, Gospel Labours, and Christian Experiences of that Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, John Woolman, […] , Dublin: Printed by R. Jackson, page 209:
2. (UK) A hedonistic or irresponsible young man; A Jack the lad.
   • He's rather a lad, by the way—or used to be in his flying days. 1929, Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery:
   • I think he reckons he’s a bit of a lad.
   • Last night I was out drinking with the lads.
3. A familiar term of address for a young man.
   • Come here, lad, and help me shift these boxes.
4. A groom who works with horses.
5. (Ireland, colloquial) The penis.
   • Just thinking about how she would look without her clothes made his lad twitch with anticipation. 2010, Loucinda McGary, The Wild Irish Sea: A Windswept Tale of Love and Magic, →ISBN, page 11:
   • Mrs Glynn: Oh but there's this great bit in it. You see, there was this girl, but then you find out it's not a girl but a man! Mrs Sheridan: And he got his lad out. 1995 May 5, Graham Linehan, Arthur Matthews, “The Passion of St Tibulus”, in Father Ted:
   • — The lad stood to attention anyhow, he said with a sigh. She's a gamey mare and no mistake. 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, page 225:
   • And he loaded the chariot with clods and boulders and cobbles that he fired at anyone who came to stare at him and jeer him, stark naked as he was, with his long lad and his acorns dangling down through the floor of the chariot. 2007, anonymous author, translated by Ciaran Carson, The Táin, →ISBN, page 175:
6. (Internet) A scammer.
   • [...] regardless whether you feel the lads may deserve to be subjected to those types of images. 2020 March 11, Rover, “*** 419 EATER FORUM RULES - PLEASE READ ***”, in 419 Eater:

Forms

Coordinates

lass · ladette

Deriveds

fellow-me-lad · lad's love · ladhood · Yule lad · laddock · ladette · laddie · flat lad · fellermelad · lad of wax · currency lad · mad lad · laddess · new lad · lad culture · tits out for the lads · ladkin · laddy · bad-lad split · merlad · feller-me-lad · signal lad · lad lit · lad mag · ladsy · laddish · ladlit · follow-me-lad · Goodlad · laddism · booking lad · likely lad · ladlike · lavender lad · head lad · fellow me lad

Relateds

lassie · lass

Synonyms

stable boy · stable lad

Translations (123)

pl chłopiec (a boy or young man) · sv pojke (a boy or young man) · es mozo (a boy or young man) · eo junulo (a boy or young man) · mk момче (a boy or young man) · eo knabo (familiar term of address for a young man) · nb ladd (a boy or young man) · ja 青年 (a boy or young man) · sv grabb (familiar term of address for a young man) · gl raparigo (a boy or young man) · sv gosse (a boy or young man) · af kêrel (a boy or young man) · gd gille (familiar term of address for a young man) · es chico (a boy or young man) · gl rapaz (familiar term of address for a young man) · hi लड़का (a boy or young man) · pl młodzieniec (a boy or young man) · hu fiú (familiar term of address for a young man) · sk chlapec (a boy or young man) · ota اوغلان (a boy or young man) · de Knabe (a boy or young man) · fi poju (a boy or young man) · ru молодо́й челове́к (a boy or young man) · sl dečko (a boy or young man) · cmn 小伙子 (familiar term of address for a young man) · uk хлопа́к (a boy or young man) · ar فَتًى (a boy or young man) · ja 若者 (a boy or young man) · de Stallbursche (a groom who works with horses) · de Junge (a boy or young man) · fr jeune homme (familiar term of address for a young man) · uk па́рубок (a boy or young man) · cy boi (familiar term of address for a young man) · es chaval (familiar term of address for a young man) · sv småhere (a boy or young man) · ru ма́льчик (a boy or young man) · hu legény (a boy or young man) · da gut (a boy or young man) · ga leaid (a boy or young man) · cy mêt (familiar term of address for a young man) · hu siheder (a boy or young man) · gd balach (a boy or young man) · ru молодо́й челове́к (familiar term of address for a young man) · fi poika (a boy or young man) · ar شَابّ (a boy or young man) · izh priha (a boy or young man) · hu fiú (a boy or young man) · de junger Mann (familiar term of address for a young man) · sh dȅčko (a boy or young man) · hu tesó (familiar term of address for a young man) · ga leaid (familiar term of address for a young man) · fa رایکا (a boy or young man) · es chico (familiar term of address for a young man) · gd òigear (a groom who works with horses) · hu kölyök (a boy or young man) · nl jongen (a boy or young man) · sq çun (a boy or young man) · hi बालक (a boy or young man) · fr garçon (familiar term of address for a young man) · got 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌿𐍃 (a boy or young man) · uk юна́к (a boy or young man) · cy achan (familiar term of address for a young man) · tt малай (a boy or young man) · hu fickó (a boy or young man) · wyi wya-luk (a boy or young man) · fr palefrenier (a groom who works with horses) · hu srác (a boy or young man) · ru па́рень (a boy or young man) · sv here (a boy or young man) · de Bursche (familiar term of address for a young man) · eo ulo (familiar term of address for a young man) · cs mládenec (a boy or young man) · fr gars (familiar term of address for a young man) · es niño (a boy or young man) · sk mládenec (a boy or young man) · cmn 青年 (a boy or young man) · hu fiatalember (a boy or young man) · da lillemand (familiar term of address for a young man) · cy bachgen (a boy or young man) · ko 청년 (a boy or young man) · cmn 小伙子 (a boy or young man) · sh де̏чко (a boy or young man) · hu gyerek (familiar term of address for a young man) · he בָּחוּר (a boy or young man) · bg момче́ (a boy or young man) · pt rapaz (a boy or young man) · hu kölyök (familiar term of address for a young man) · uk ле́ґінь (a boy or young man) · ru помо́щник ко́нюха (a groom who works with horses) · sv gosse (familiar term of address for a young man) · cmn 小伙 (familiar term of address for a young man) · ru ю́ноша (a boy or young man) · sv kille (a boy or young man) · or ବାଳ (a boy or young man) · eo stalisto (a groom who works with horses) · cs chlapec (a boy or young man) · sv grabb (a boy or young man) · da dreng (a boy or young man) · be хло́пец (a boy or young man) · ota شاب (a boy or young man) · de Bube (a boy or young man) · fr garçon (a boy or young man) · gl rapaz (a boy or young man) · eo knabo (a boy or young man) · es muchacho (familiar term of address for a young man) · bg мо́мък (a boy or young man) · ota اوشاق (a boy or young man) · tt егет (a boy or young man) · nb gutt (a boy or young man) · uga 𐎐𐎓𐎗 (a boy or young man) · gd gille (a boy or young man) · hu srác (familiar term of address for a young man) · sl fant (a boy or young man) · es mozalbete (a boy or young man) · la catulaster (a boy or young man) · uk хло́пець (a boy or young man) · fi kaveri (familiar term of address for a young man) · ru па́ря (a boy or young man) · nv dinééh (a boy or young man) · bg мла́ди чове́че (familiar term of address for a young man) · pl chłopak (a boy or young man) · ro băiat (a boy or young man) · bg момче́ (familiar term of address for a young man)