schoolgirl

schoolgirl — noun

1. a female child or teenager who is enrolled in a school and attends classes there

1.nounA2
Definition

a female child or teenager who is enrolled in a school and attends classes there

Example

Zola was the only schoolgirl in her village to walk five kilometres to school daily.

The librarian noticed the young schoolgirl reading quietly in the corner during lunch.

collocation: young schoolgirl

Common collocations
  • young schoolgirl
  • schoolgirl uniform
  • schoolgirl crush
  • as a schoolgirl
  • naughty schoolgirl
Synonyms
  • student

    more general — refers to any learner at any level (school, college, university)

  • pupil

    more formal, commonly used in British English for younger learners in school settings

  • schoolchild

    gender-neutral alternative covering both boys and girls attending school

Antonyms

Usage Note

Unlike 'student', which can refer to learners of any age, 'schoolgirl' specifically refers to a girl attending primary or secondary school. The term is less common in everyday American English than 'girl' or 'student', but is widely used in British English and in writing.

Common Mistakes

She is a schoolgirl student.
She is a schoolgirl.
'schoolgirl' already implies being a student; adding 'student' is redundant.
The schoolgirls teacher called her parents.
The schoolgirl's teacher called her parents.
the apostrophe is needed to show possession.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Schoolgirl, pupil, student, and schoolchild all refer to a person who is learning in a school, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Schoolgirl' specifies a female child in primary or secondary education; it is the most concrete and gender-specific term of the four. 'Student' is the broadest and most neutral term — it covers learners at any level, from primary school to university — and is the default in American English. 'Pupil' is more formal and is the preferred term in British English for younger learners in primary and secondary school, especially when referring to the teacher's perspective (e.g. 'The teacher has thirty pupils in her class'). 'Schoolchild' is a gender-neutral umbrella term that avoids specifying the sex of the learner. In practice: 'In Japan, every schoolchild learns calligraphy' sounds natural, while 'In Japan, every schoolgirl learns calligraphy' would be misleading — only girls would be included.

schoolgirl ↗student ↗pupil ↗schoolchild ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • schoolgirl uniform
  • schoolgirl crush
  • schoolgirl outfit

Phrases

  • young schoolgirl
  • former schoolgirl
  • naughty schoolgirl

Prepositions

  • as a schoolgirl
  • schoolgirl in
  • schoolgirl from

Etymology

Ancient GreekLatinOld EnglishEnglish

Schoolgirl is a compound word formed by combining 'school' (a place for teaching and learning) and 'girl' (a female child). The word 'school' traces back through Old English 'scōl' to Latin 'schola', originally meaning 'leisure for learning' in Ancient Greek 'skholē'. The word 'girl' comes from Old English 'gierla', which referred to a young person of either sex before narrowing to mean a female child. The compound 'schoolgirl' has been in use since at least the 17th century.