bicche

Middle English

Alternative forms

• beche, biche, bycche, byche, bikk, buche

Etymology

From Old English biċċe, from Proto-West Germanic *bikkjā, from Proto-Germanic *bikjǭ (compare Norwegian bikkja (“dog”), Old Danish bikke), from *bikjaną (“to thrust, attack”) (compare Old Norse bikkja (“plunge into water”), Dutch bikken (“to hack”)). More at bicker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbit͡ʃ(ə)/

Noun

bicche (plural bicches)

1. bitch (female dog)
2. (of a woman) bitch (despicable or disagreeable woman)
3. (of a man) bitch (despicable or heathen man)

Descendants

• English: bitch
  • → Dutch: bitch
  • →? German: Betze, Bätze, Petze
  • → French: bitch
• Scots: bitch

References

• “bicche, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.