Strangely enough, when the word “auburn” first came into the language, after the Norman Conquest, it was used as a perfect description of the color of the flaxen hair of the Saxons, a yellowish hue.
The Old French spelling was alborne or auborne. But after being taken into English the spelling began to vary, taking a number of different forms.
Thus in the seventeenth century it moved from abron to abroun and abrown, and because of this latter spelling the meaning of the word shifted into that which we still give it, a reddish brown.
Our present spelling, however, is a compromise of the eighteenth century.
Related Posts
-
Where does the word “Auburn” originate and What does Auburn mean?
The modern auburn-haired beauty has tresses of golden or reddish brown, but that was far from the color the Normans had in mind when, after the Conquest of 1066, they invaded England. They…
-
What does the word “gauntlet” mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
During the Thirty Years' War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, the English forces observed a form of disciplinary punishment used among their German allies. It looked highly effective, so it was not…
-
What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word “incubus” come from?
In the Middle Ages any woman who gave birth to a witch or sorceress was supposed to have been visited, in her sleep, by a male demon or evil spirit. The name given…
-
Where does the word “Toilet” come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
The word "toilet" has had a rather curious development in the little more than four hundred years it has been in the language. Its origin was the French toilette, the diminutive of wile,…
-
What Does the Word Scapegoat Mean and Where Did the Word Scapegoat Come From?
A Scapegoat is a member of a group singled out for undeserved blame or negative treatment. The word "scapegoat" is a mistranslation of the word Azazel. An early Greek translation of the Old…
-
What Does the Word “Clock” Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
Like cloche in French, the word clock literally means bell. When the large mechanical clock was invented in the fourteenth century it didn't tell time with a face and hands, but rather by…
