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 used it to describe the prevailing hue of the Saxon hair, flaxen or yellowish white, that which we now ascribe to a towhead.
Careless speech and faulty writing of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries contributed to the shifted meaning.
Old French auborne often appeared as abrun and abroun and even abrown, from which, by inference, “a brownish tint” was the natural conclusion.
Related Posts
-
Where does the word “auburn” come from and What does it mean?
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…
-
What does the word mugwump mean and Where does the word “mugwump” originate?
John Eliot, so-called "apostle to the Indians," had many difficulties when, in the middle of the seventeenth century, he was translating the Bible into the Indian language. There were so many words for…
-
What Does the Word “Restaurant” Mean In French and How Did the Word For Dining Room Originate?
Up until 1765, diners were offered only what innkeepers chose to serve. But then, a Paris chef named Boulanger began offering a choice of nourishing soups to passersby and on a board hanging…
-
What Does the Word “Gymnasium” Mean in Greek and How Did the Word “Stadium” Originate?
The word gymnasium is from the Greek word gymnos, which means "nude." Thus, gymnasium literally means "a school for naked exercise." The first Olympic event for the nude male athletes, or gymnasts, was…
-
How Did the Word “Tip” Originate and What Does the Word For a Gratuity Mean In German?
The word "tip" is not an acronym for "To Insure Promptness." In the 1800s a tip was understood to be a bribe. As insider information, tip first appeared in the seventeenth century and…
-
How did the word “idiot” originate and What does the word idiot mean?
When we say that the word idiot is derived from the Greek idiotes, it must be understood that the Greek term had no such meaning as we give to idiot, not remotely. Its…
