bear

Where does the word "bear" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic berô, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Bear’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: berô meant “the brown one.” 'the brown one', a taboo name: hunters avoided the animal's real name, which survives in Latin 'ursus' and Greek 'arktos' (hence 'Arctic'). By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as bera. The hero's name 'Beowulf', bee-wolf, is often read as a riddle-name for a bear. It reached English by 1500s as bear. The stock-market 'bear' dates from the 1700s, perhaps from the saying about selling the bearskin before catching the bear. Today, bear means a large, heavy mammal with thick fur.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient berô "the brown one", 'the brown one', a taboo name: hunters avoided the animal's real name, which survives in Latin 'ursus' and Greek 'arktos' (hence 'Arctic').
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s bera "bear", the hero's name 'Beowulf', bee-wolf, is often read as a riddle-name for a bear.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s bear "bear", the stock-market 'bear' dates from the 1700s, perhaps from the saying about selling the bearskin before catching the bear.