Lad

How to spell lad

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce lad

What does lad mean?

1. nounA boy or young man, often used with affection or familiarity.

Lad in a sentence

• The young lad delivered the newspapers before dawn.

• Every lad on the team trained hard for the final.

Where does lad come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word 'lad' first appears in Middle English around the 1300s, spelled 'ladde', where it meant a male servant or a young man of low birth. Its exact origins are debated, but it is most likely of Germanic stock, with possible links to Old Norse and northern dialect forms. Over the centuries the social sting faded, and 'lad' came to mean simply a boy or a young fellow, often with a tone of warm familiarity. In modern British English it has taken on extra colour, describing a sociable young man fond of drinking, sport, and the company of his friends. The spelling has stayed refreshingly simple throughout, which makes it one of the easiest words in the language to write.

How the word is built

• lad (single root, originally meaning a young man or servant)