English
hurcheon
Hurcheon comes from Middle English yrchoun ‘hedgehog’, and goes back to Vulgar Latin *ericio.
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*ericioas *ērīciōnem‘hedgehog’reconstructed
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400irechon
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yrchounas hirchoun‘hedgehog’
- Englishearliest quotation 1597hurcheon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*ericioas *ērīciōnem‘hedgehog’reconstructed
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400irechon
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yrchounas hirchoun‘hedgehog’
- Englishearliest quotation 1597hurcheon
Earliest quotation: 1597, Alexander Montgomery: “I saw the hurcheon and the hare In hidlings…”
Linked words
through Middle English yrchoun ‘hedgehog’
Today it means
noun A hedgehog.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Vulgar Latin *ericio / hurcheon