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Definition 2024
bichon
bichon
English
Noun
bichon (plural bichons)
- A class of toy dogs with curly or wavy hair and long curled tails.
- (especially in North America) a Bichon Frisé.
Translations
bichon
Bichon Frisé — see Bichon Frisé
See also
- Bichon Frisé
- Bolognese
- Bolonka
- Coton de Tulear
- Havanese
- Löwchen
- Maltese
French
Etymology
From Middle French bichon (“small long-haired dog”), from Old French biche (“bitch, female dog”), from Old English biċċe (“female dog”), from Proto-Germanic *bikjǭ (“female dog, bitch”). Cognate with Old Norse bikkja (“female dog”), German Betze (“female dog”). More at bitch.
Alternative etymology derives through an apheresis of barbichon (“small poodle”), a diminutive of barbiche (“shaggy dog”), however, chronology makes this derivation improbable if not impossible, as bichon is attested since 1588, yet barbichon ("small poodle") does not appear until 1694.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biʃɔ̃/
Noun
bichon m (plural bichons, feminine bichonne)
- (dog) bichon
- lapdog