Where does “hobgoblinry” come from?
hobgoblinry (English) comes from English hobgoblin, from English Hob, from Middle English Hob, from English robin, from Middle English Robin, from Old French Robert, from Frankish berht, from Proto-Germanic berhtaz — army.
hobgoblinry (English): Tales or folklore involving hobgoblins
Definitions
- Tales or folklore involving hobgoblins
Ancestry of “hobgoblinry”, step by step
hobgoblinry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hobgoblin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hobgoblin | A small, ugly goblin that makes trouble for... |
| 2 | English | Hob | A nickname for Robin Goodfellow, Puck; later the devil |
| 3 | Middle English | Hob | — |
| 4 | English | robin | Any of various passerine birds of the families... |
| 5 | Middle English | Robin | — |
| 6 | Old French | Robert | a Germanic (Old Frankish) borrowing |
| 7 | Frankish | berht | bright |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | berhtaz | bright, shining |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English ry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ry | A test pattern consisting of a repeating character string alternating letters R and Y, used to test five-level teleprinter and radioteletype (RTTY) systems |