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robin
robin a small brown bird with a red breast, which legendarily was coloured by the blood of Christ. The robin is traditionally taken as a harbinger of death; there was also a tradition that robins would cover the bodies of the unburied dead with leaves. The name comes (in late Middle English, as robin redbreast) from Old French, pet form of the given name Robert.
the robin and the wren are God's cock and hen; the martin and the swallow are God's mate and marrow proverbial saying, late 18th century (marrow in the second line means ‘companion’); there was a traditional belief that the robin and the wren were sacred birds, and that to harm them in any way would be unlucky. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "robin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "robin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-robin.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "robin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-robin.html |
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robin
rob·in / ˈräbən/ • n. 1. a large New World thrush (genus Turdus) that typically has a reddish breast. Its numerous species include the familiar American robin (T. migratorius). 2. any of a number of other birds that resemble the American robin, esp. in having a red breast, in particular a small Old World thrush (Erithacus and other genera) related to the chats, typically having a brown back with red on the breast or other colorful markings. Its numerous species include the European robin (E. rubecula). |
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"robin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "robin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-robin.html "robin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-robin.html |
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Robin
Robin ♂, ♀ Originally a pet form of Robert, from the short form Rob + the diminutive suffix -in (of Old French origin), but now nearly always used as an independent name. In recent years it has been increasingly used as a girl's name, partly under the influence of the vocabulary word denoting the bird.
Variant: Robyn ♀. |
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Robin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Robin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Robin.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Robin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Robin.html |
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robin
robin small red-breasted bird. XVI. Short for r. redbreast (XV), both being Sc. in their earliest use. — OF. Robin, familiar var. of the masculine name Robert (used XV for ‘robin’). In round r. (XVIII) the adj. describes the circular unpunctuated list of names on the document; the reference of the sb. is unkn.
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T. F. HOAD. "robin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "robin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-robin.html T. F. HOAD. "robin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-robin.html |
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robin
robin •agin, akin, begin, Berlin, bin, Boleyn, Bryn, chin, chin-chin, Corinne, din, fin, Finn, Flynn, gaijin, gin, Glyn, grin, Gwyn, herein, Ho Chi Minh, in, inn, Jin, jinn, kin, Kweilin, linn, Lynn, mandolin, mandoline, Min, no-win, pin, Pinyin, quin, shin, sin, skin, spin, therein, thin, Tientsin, tin, Tonkin, Turin, twin, underpin, Vietminh, violin, wherein, whin, whipper-in, win, within, Wynne, yin
•weigh-in • lutein • lie-in • Samhain
•Bowen, Cohen, Owen, throw-in
•heroin, heroine
•benzoin
•bruin, ruin, shoo-in
•Bedouin • Islwyn
•genuine, Menuhin
•cabin, Scriabin
•Portakabin • sin bin • swingbin
•bobbin, dobbin, robin
•haemoglobin (US hemoglobin)
•Reuben • dubbin • dustbin • Jacobin
•kitchen, lichen
•Cochin • urchin
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Cite this article
"robin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "robin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-robin.html "robin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-robin.html |
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