Where does “hobby-horse” come from?

hobby-horse (English) comes from Middle English hoby, from Albanian hobe, from Middle Low German hōpen, from Old Saxon hopon, from Proto-West Germanic hopōn — to hope, to expect.

hobby-horse (English): Alternative spelling of hobby horse

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of hobby horse

Ancestry of “hobby-horse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhoby—
2Albanianhobecatapult, sling
3Middle Low Germanhōpento hope
4Old Saxonhopon—
5Proto-West Germanichopōnto hope, to expect

Words derived from “hobby-horse”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic hopōn →Every word from Old Saxon hopon →Every word from Middle Low German hōpen →