A child or young person; a fellow or man (used in Scottish and Northern English dialects).
From Old English 'cild' meaning child, which evolved into 'chiel' in Scots. The word ultimately traces to Proto-Germanic roots and shares ancestry with the modern English 'child,' but took a different pronunciation path in Scottish English.
In Scottish poetry and dialect, 'chiel' became a term of affection or casual reference that Robert Burns and other writers loved—it's how language evolves differently in isolated regions, creating treasure troves of variation that connect us to medieval English.
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