entry
robert
/ˈroʊbərt/Germanic given name meaning bright fame
From Proto-Germanic hrod (fame) + Proto-Germanic berht (bright).
Word Ancestry
A name can travel farther than a sword, and Robert did exactly that. Behind it sits a Germanic boast: fame plus brightness, a little two-part brag in one breath. The Normans carried it into England, where it took off after the Conquest and became so common that medieval Englishmen also used Robert as a nickname for a robber or lowly drifter — the same way Hob, Dob, and Bob sprouted from it like noisy little cousins. That family tree is wonderfully tangled: Robert gives us Robin, Hob, and even the surname Hopkins through the same pet-name machinery that turns a grand old name into something blunt and everyday. In France, the name later wandered into a very different corner of speech, where robert can mean breasts in slang — proof that once a word gets a passport, you never quite know where it will turn up.
The Story
A name can travel farther than a sword, and Robert did exactly that. Behind it sits a Germanic boast: fame plus brightness, a little two-part brag in one breath. The Normans carried it into England, where it took off after the Conquest and became so common that medieval Englishmen also used Robert as a nickname for a robber or lowly drifter — the same way Hob, Dob, and Bob sprouted from it like noisy little cousins. That family tree is wonderfully tangled: Robert gives us Robin, Hob, and even the surname Hopkins through the same pet-name machinery that turns a grand old name into something blunt and everyday. In France, the name later wandered into a very different corner of speech, where robert can mean breasts in slang — proof that once a word gets a passport, you never quite know where it will turn up.
Modern Usage
French colloquial slang for breasts, usually in the plural
Popularized by: French colloquial speech; the term is tied to Édouard Robert, creator of a baby bottle, in later folk explanation
Notable References
- Wiktionary entry for robert(s)
Kin & Kindred
From 'hrod'·fame, glory
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'berht'·bright, shining
Derived Terms
English words from this root