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Webster 1913 Edition

Robin

Rob′in

,
Noun.
[Properly a pet name for
Robert
, originally meaning, famebright; F., fron OHG.
Roudperht
;
ruod
(in comp.; akin to AS.
hr[GREEK][GREEK]
glory, fame, Goth.
hr[GREEK]peigs
victorius) +
beraht
bright. See
Bright
,
Hob
a clown.]
(Zool.)
(a)
A small European singing bird (
Erythacus rubecula
), having a reddish breast; – called also
robin redbreast
,
robinet
, and
ruddock
.
(b)
An American singing bird (
Merula migratoria
), having the breast chestnut, or dull red. The upper parts are olive-gray, the head and tail blackish. Called also
robin redbreast
, and
migratory thrush
.
(c)
Any one of several species of Australian warblers of the genera
Petroica
,
Melanadrays
, and allied genera;
as, the scarlet-breasted
robin
(
Petroica mullticolor
)
.
(d)
Any one of several Asiatic birds;
as, the Indian
robins
. See
Indian robin
, below.
Beach robin
(Zool.)
,
the robin snipe, or knot. See
Knot
.
–
Blue-throated robin
.
(Zool.)
See
Bluethroat
.
–
Canada robin
(Zool.)
,
the cedar bird.
–
Golden robin
(Zool.)
,
the Baltimore oriole.
–
Ground robin
(Zool.)
,
the chewink.
–
Indian robin
(Zool.)
,
any one of several species of Asiatic saxoline birds of the genera
Thamnobia
and
Pratincola
. They are mostly black, usually with some white on the wings.
–
Magrie robin
(Zool.)
,
an Asiatic singing bird (
Corsycus saularis
), having the back, head, neck, and breast black glossed with blue, the wings black, and the belly white.
–
Ragged robin
.
(Bot.)
See under
Ragged
.
–
Robin accentor
(Zool.)
,
a small Asiatic singing bird (
Accentor rubeculoides
), somewhat resembling the European robin.
–
Robin redbreast
.
(Zool.)
(a)
The European robin
.
(b)
The American robin
.
(c)
The American bluebird.
–
Robin snipe
.
(Zool.)
(a)
The red-breasted snipe, or dowitcher
.
(b)
The red-breasted sandpiper, or knot.
–
Robin’s plantain
.
(Bot.)
See under
Plantain
.
–
Sea robin
.
(Zool.)
(a)
Any one of several species of American gurnards of the genus
Prionotus
. They are excellent food fishes. Called also
wingfish
. The name is also applied to a European gurnard.
(b)
The red-breasted merganser, or sheldrake
.
[Local, U.S.]
–
Water robin
(Zool.)
,
a redstart (
Ruticulla fuliginosa
), native of India.

Webster 1828 Edition

Robin

ROB'IN

,
Noun.
[L. rubecula, from rubeo, to be red.]
1.
A bird of the genus Motacilla, called also redbreast. This is the English application of the word.
2.
In the United States, a bird with a red breast, a species of Turdus.

Definition 2024

Robin

Robin

See also: robin

English

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Robin ‎(plural Robins)

  1. A male given name.
    • late 1300s, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales:
      Oure Hoste saugh that he was dronke of ale,
      And seyde, "Abyd, Robin, my leve brother,
      Som bettre man shal telle us first another:
      Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily."
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act i, Scene 1:
      They say he is already in the forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England.
    • 1785, Robert Burns, Rantin', Rovin' Robin:
      This waly boy will be nae coof: /I think we'll call him Robin./ Robin was a rovin' boy, / Rantin', rovin', rantin', rovin', /Robin was a rovin' boy, / Rantin', rovin' Robin.
    • 1991, Julian Barnes, Talking It Over, Jonathan Cape (ISBN 0224031570), page 12:
      Some names simply aren't appropriate after a while. Say you were called Robin, for instance. Well that's a perfectly good monicker up to the age of about nine, but pretty soon you'd have to do something about it, wouldn't you? Change your name by deed-poll to Samson, or Goliath, or something.
  2. A female given name, also associated with the bird robin.
    • 1949, Adela Rogers St. John, Never Again, and Other Stories (Doubleday 1949), page 25:
      "We'll name her Robin," her mother said, and and it was as though at her words something of that spring and the bird's song and his gay and friendly and impudent spirit entered into the child.
  3. (rare compared to given name) A patronymic surname​.

Derived terms

See also

Translations

Noun

Robin ‎(plural Robins)

  1. (soccer) Someone connected with any number of sports teams known as the Robins, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

Czech

Proper noun

Robin m

  1. A male given name, cognate to Robin

Danish

Proper noun

Robin

  1. A male given name borrowed from English.

Estonian

Proper noun

Robin

  1. A male given name recently borrowed from English.

French

Etymology

Old French diminutive of Robert.

Proper noun

Robin m

  1. A male given name.
  2. A patronymic surname​.

German

Proper noun

Robin

  1. A male given name borrowed from English.

Norwegian

Proper noun

Robin

  1. A male given name borrowed from English.

Swedish

Etymology

From English Robin. First recorded as a given name in Sweden in 1880.

Proper noun

Robin

  1. A male given name.

References

  • Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, ISBN 91-21-10937-0
  • Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, ISBN 9119551622: 27 631 males with the given name Robin living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with the frequency peak in the 1990s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

robin

robin

See also: Robin

English

A European robin, Erithacus rubecula
An American robin, Turdus migratorius

Noun

robin ‎(plural robins)

  1. Various passerine birds (about 100 species) of the families Muscicapidae, Turdidae and Petroicidae (formerly Eopsaltriidae), typically with a red breast.
    1. A European robin; Erithacus rubecula.
    2. An American robin; Turdus migratorius.

Usage notes

The American robin is quite different from the European one: English settlers in America so named a red-breasted bird much larger than the European robin.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʁɔbɛ̃/

Etymology 1

Familiar form of Robert.

Noun

robin m ‎(plural robins)

  1. (obsolete) sheep, calf
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Derivative of robe, in the phrase homme de robe ‘man of the gown’.

Noun

robin m ‎(plural robins)

  1. (archaic, pejorative) lawyer

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of Robert

Pronunciation

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