guil

Meaning

1. (masculine) an old or worn-down horse, a nag
2. (masculine, obsolete) any horse, in particular a workhorse
3. (masculine) a lazy person
4. (masculine, obsolete) a coarse, crude person

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɣœy̯l/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Dutch: guul, gûle

Cognate with Middle Low German: gûl

Cognate with German: Gaul

Cognate with Swedish: gula

In summary

From Middle Dutch guul, gûle, from Proto-West Germanic *gūl- (stem form uncertain), of uncertain origin but possibly related to *geutan (“to pour”). The original sense could have been "powerful horse, male animal," in which case the "pouring" would refer to insemination. Similar sense development is possibly found in Proto-Germanic *ūraz (“aurochs”).
Cognate with German Gaul (“horse”, chiefly pejorative), Middle Low German gûl(e) (“horse, stallion”), whence regional Swedish gula (“old horse”).