*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of robin

Short for robin redbreast. Also from Middle English robynet, robynett (“robin (bird)”), from the Middle English name Robynett, a diminutive of the Middle English name Robyn (“Robin”). ] ]

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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 ↗
noun

A European robin, Erithacus rubecula. · An American robin, Turdus migratorius. · A trimming in front of a dress.

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

Short for robin redbreast. Also from Middle English robynet, robynett (“robin (bird)”), from the Middle English name Robynett, a diminutive of the Middle English name Robyn (“Robin”). ] ]

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.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "robynet"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English robynet"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxfmt",
      "args": {
        "1": "Erithacus rubecula",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Erithacus rubecula"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxfmt",
      "args": {
        "1": "Turdus migratorius",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Turdus migratorius"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "robin redbreast",
      "robin redbreast#English"
    ],
    [
      "robynet",
      "robynet#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "robynett",
      "robynett#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Robynett",
      "Robynett#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Robyn",
      "Robyn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Erithacus rubecula",
      "Erithacus rubecula#Translingual"
    ],
    [
      "Turdus migratorius",
      "Turdus migratorius#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A European robin, Erithacus rubecula.",
        "An American robin, Turdus migratorius.",
        "A trimming in front of a dress."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "830ce4d1ad385a38f6c4d866b60b1ce43e7ee2aedd1303e3e691d7a1374a51ee",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ec07c7edae9f7bb24a560260d2f4b3a2545ea1aa1418ed372b05f04bf073d396",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 36232
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 robin →

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-cm9iaW4