ENGLISH
REFERENCE

paul

n. countable
A1 Beginner US //ˈpɔɫ// paul Archaic

n. a common name for a man. It is a traditional name used in many countries around the world.

n. a masculine given name of Latin origin, derived from 'Paulus' meaning small or humble. Widely used across Christian cultures due to the influence of the Apostle Paul.


SIMPLE

My friend Paul lives in London.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager asked Paul to lead the meeting because of his experience with the client.

COMPLEX

While the name Paul has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, it remains a staple of Western nomenclature due to its deep historical and religious roots.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”). Doublet of Pablo and Paolo.

Usage

As a proper noun, it is capitalized. It can be used as a countable noun when referring to multiple people with the same name (e.g., 'There are three Pauls in my class').

Idioms1 entry

© 2026 English Reference