LASs

Lass is a noun in Scottish English and some Northern English dialects meaning a girl or young woman. It is closely related to lad as a gendered pair used in informal speech and writing. Lass has many affectionate or folkloric connotations and frequently appears in songs, poetry, and everyday conversation as part of regional identity. The standard plural is lasses, and the diminutive form lassie is used to refer to a young or endearing girl.

In practice, lass is most common within Scotland and in dialect writing, while in formal, non-dialect contexts it is often replaced by girl or woman. The term also appears in popular culture, for example in the phrase bonnie lass, and as the root for the name of the famous fictional dog Lassie, whose name derives from the word lass plus a diminutive suffix.

The word's use reflects historical and ongoing regional speech patterns and contributes to Scottish cultural vocabulary. It is typically considered informal and dialectal outside the United Kingdom.