lad

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

lad, p. p. 

 p. p. of Lead, to guide.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

lad, n. [OE. ladde, of Celtic origin; cf. W. llawd, Ir. lath. Lass.].

•  A boy; a youth; a stripling.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves and two small fishes."  [1913 Webster]
•  A companion; a comrade; a mate.  [1913 Webster]

Lad's love. (Bot.) See Boy's love, under Boy.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

lad, n.
1 a a boy or youth. b a young son.
2 (esp. in pl.) colloq. a man; a fellow, esp. a workmate, drinking companion, etc. (he's one of the lads).
3 colloq. a high-spirited fellow; a rogue (he's a bit of a lad).
4 Brit. a stable-worker (regardless of age).

Idiom

lad's love = SOUTHERNWOOD.

Etymology

ME ladde, of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

lad

bastard, bird, boy, bub, bubba, buck, bud, buddy, bugger, cat, chap, character, colt, cub, duck, feller, fellow, fledgling, guy, hobbledehoy, jasper, joker, laddie, manchild, master, muchacho, pup, puppy, schoolboy, son, sonny, sonny boy, stripling, stud, tad, whelp, young man, youth

ROGET THESAURUS

lad

Infant

N infant, babe, baby, babe in arms, nurseling, suckling, yearling, weanling, papoose, bambino, kid, vagitus, child, bairn, little one, brat, chit, pickaninny, urchin, bantling, bratling, elf, youth, boy, lad, stripling, youngster, youngun, younker, callant, whipster, whippersnapper, whiffet, schoolboy, hobbledehoy, hopeful, cadet, minor, master, scion, sap, seedling, tendril, olive branch, nestling, chicken, larva, chrysalis, tadpole, whelp, cub, pullet, fry, callow, codlin, codling, foetus, calf, colt, pup, foal, kitten, lamb, lambkin, aurelia, caterpillar, cocoon, nymph, nympha, orphan, pupa, staddle, girl, lass, lassie, wench, miss, damsel, demoiselle, maid, maiden, virgin, hoyden, infantine, infantile, puerile, boyish, girlish, childish, babyish, kittenish, baby, newborn, unfledged, new-fledged, callow, in the cradle, in swaddling clothes, in long clothes, in arms, in leading strings, at the breast, in one's teens.