Medieval · insult · noun (also adjective)
Lorel
LOR-ul /ˈlɒrəl/pronunciation reconstructed — no period source gives it
First recorded1362
A worthless person, rogue or blackguard — a twin of 'losel', formed from 'loren', the other old past participle of 'to lose'. In the 1500s it was often played off against 'lord' (the lorel versus the lord).
Where it was first recorded
William Langland, Piers Plowman (A-text), passus VIII — the earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary (1933 corrected re-issue of the NED, vol. VI)
Also spelled: lorell, lorelle, lorrel, lorrell
In its own time
Thus seistow, lorel, whan thow goost to bedde;
Today
Modern exampleOnly a lorel would take the last slice of cake and leave the empty box in the fridge.
Harmless but very obscure — works as a theatrical insult if you are ready to explain it.
Questions
What does lorel mean?
A worthless person, rogue or blackguard — a twin of 'losel', formed from 'loren', the other old past participle of 'to lose'. In the 1500s it was often played off against 'lord' (the lorel versus the lord).
When was lorel first used?
It is first recorded 1362 — William Langland, Piers Plowman (A-text), passus VIII — the earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary (1933 corrected re-issue of the NED, vol. VI).
Can you still use lorel today?
Harmless but very obscure — works as a theatrical insult if you are ready to explain it.
Sources
- The Oxford English Dictionary (1933 re-issue), vol. VI — 'Lorel' — Clarendon Press (via Internet Archive scan)
- lorel — Merriam-Webster
- lorel — Wiktionary
- Chaucer's Works, vol. 4: The Canterbury Tales (ed. Skeat) — Project Gutenberg
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above