English
urchin
Urchin comes from Middle English yrchoun ‘hedgehog’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to be excited, bristly’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰer-‘to be excited, bristly’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰḗr‘hedgehog’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEērīcius‘hedgehog’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*ērīciōnem‘hedgehog’reconstructed
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400irechon
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yrchoun‘hedgehog’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1597urchin
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰer-‘to be excited, bristly’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰḗr‘hedgehog’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEērīcius‘hedgehog’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*ērīciōnem‘hedgehog’reconstructed
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400irechon
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yrchoun‘hedgehog’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1597urchin
Earliest quotation: c. 1597, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wiues of Windsor: “We'll dress [them] like urchins, ouphes, and fairies.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to be excited, bristly’
girl, card, chart, cartoon, chronic, chorus, cartel, cartridge, carton, carte, synchronous, crony, cartography, synchronize, cron, germanium, cartouche, 33 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰḗr ‘hedgehog’
Today it means
noun A hedgehog.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- / urchin