Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “robbery” come from?

Robbery comes from Middle English roberie, from Old French roberie, formed with the Old French suffix -ie (from Latin -ia, from Ancient Greek -ία), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ and the root reup-.

robbery (English): The act or practice of robbing; The offense of...

Definitions

  1. The act or practice of robbing; The offense of...

Ancestry of “robbery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishrobberieRobbery, theft or stealing; The fruits of...
2Old Frenchroberierobbery; theft
3Old Frenchroberto rob; to steal
4Latinraubāre—
5Frankishraubōnto rob, plunder; to rob, to steal, to plunder
6Proto-Germanicraubōnąto rob, steal, plunder
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrewp-to break, tear
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrew-to tear out, dig out, open, acquire

Words derived from “robbery”

  • antirobbery
  • nonrobbery
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hrew- →