girl
n. countablen. a female child or a young woman. People also use it informally to talk about a female friend of any age.
n. a female child or adolescent; by extension, a young woman. Often used informally among peers to refer to adult women, though this usage can be sensitive depending on the social context.
The little girl is playing with her dog in the park.
The school organized a special science workshop to encourage every girl in the class to consider a career in engineering.
Sociologists often study how the transition from being a girl to an adult woman is marked by different cultural rituals across the globe.
From Middle English gerle, girle, gyrle (“young person (boy or girl)”), perhaps from Old English gyrele, from Proto-West Germanic gurilā, from a zero-grade diminutive of gaurā (“young child”) + -ilā. Ultimately of unknown origin. Doublet of gal/gyal and gyaru.
The noun is countable and follows standard pluralization rules.