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So, the word "robber" is because they would strip you out of your robe?
by hcarvalhoalves 5y ago
So, the word "robber" is because they would strip you out of your robe?
- jacobolus 5y agoActually it is the opposite. The word “rob” comes from a proto-indo-european root meaning to “tear” or “strip”, and has apparently been used in the modern sense of taking things by force for thousands of years, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/Hrewp- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Eur... https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/raubaz https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic... The word “robe” is the derivative word, originally meaning the spoils of robbery, e.g. a stolen garment. It has only meant a specific kind of long loose garment for hundreds of years. The English words “rip”, “reave”, “bereave” also come from the same origin.