lad

¹ American  

[lad] / læd /

noun

1. a boy or youth.

2. Informal. a familiar or affectionate term of address for a man; chap.

3. British Horseracing Informal. a stable boy.

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LAD ² American  

abbreviation

Psycholinguistics.

1. language acquisition device.

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lad British  

/ læd /

noun

1. a boy or young man

2. informal a familiar form of address for any male

3. a lively or dashing man or youth (esp in the phrase a bit of a lad )

4. a young man whose behaviour is characteristic of male adolescents, esp in being rowdy, macho, or immature

5. a boy or man who looks after horses

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Other Word Forms

• laddish adjective
• ladhood noun

Etymology

Origin of lad

1250–1300; Middle English ladde < ?; compare late Old English Ladda (nickname)

Related Words

• fellow
• schoolboy
• youngster