*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rob

From Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Late Latin raubāre, from Frankish *raubōn (compare Dutch roven) and Old High German roubōn, raubōn (“to rob, steal, plunder”), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Doub

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To steal from, especially using force or violence. · To deprive of, or withhold from, unjustly or injuriously; to defraud. · To deprive (of). · To burgle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Late Latin raubāre, from Frankish *raubōn (compare Dutch roven) and Old High German roubōn, raubōn (“to rob, steal, plunder”), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Doublet of reave.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "robben"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English robben"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "rober",
        "4": "robber"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman robber"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "raubō",
        "4": "raubāre"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin raubāre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*raubōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *raubōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "roven"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch roven"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "goh",
        "3": "roubōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German roubōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*raubōną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *raubōną"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "reave"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of reave"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "robben",
      "robben#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "robber",
      "rober#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "raubāre",
      "raubo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*raubōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/raubōn"
    ],
    [
      "roven",
      "roven#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "roubōn",
      "roubon#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "raubōn",
      "raubon#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "*raubōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/raubōną"
    ],
    [
      "reave",
      "reave#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To steal from, especially using force or violence.",
        "To deprive of, or withhold from, unjustly or injuriously; to defraud.",
        "To deprive (of).",
        "To burgle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "figuratively",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "7c3e920c167b98bc3712573ab71373cae2cf24e554d851aa032a036853cb6d3e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "97afc169716727a5b21703d5ace627c7593749e7adec3010ec69d6310778231c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 165410
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A syrup made of evaporating fruit juice over a fire, usually mixed with sugar or honey, and especially used for medicinal purposes.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Medieval Latin rob, from Arabic ربّ (“thickened fruit juice”). Compare French rob, Spanish rob, Italian rob, robbo, Portuguese robe, arrobe, Persian ربودن (present stem: robâ).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "rob"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin rob"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ربّ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "thickened fruit juice"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic ربّ (“thickened fruit juice”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "rob"
      },
      "expansion": "French rob"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "rob"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish rob"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "rob"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian rob"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "robe"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese robe"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fa",
        "2": "ربودن",
        "tr": "present stem: robâ"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian ربودن (present stem: robâ)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rob",
      "rob#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ربّ",
      "رب#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "rob",
      "rob#French"
    ],
    [
      "rob",
      "rob#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "rob",
      "rob#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "robbo",
      "robbo#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "robe",
      "robe#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "arrobe",
      "arrobe#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "ربودن",
      "ربودن#Persian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A syrup made of evaporating fruit juice over a fire, usually mixed with sugar or honey, and especially used for medicinal purposes."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rob →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cm9i