Etymograph

English

robber

Robber may come from Old French robeor ‘thief’, from rober ‘to rob’, and ultimately from Frankish *raubōn.

  1. Frankishc. 250–700*raubōn1uncertain
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEraubō2as raubāre‘to rob, plunder’uncertain
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400rober3‘to rob’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400robeor3‘thief’uncertain
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500robbour3‘a robber or burglar’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1907robber3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin raubo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old French rober
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English robber
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1907, Frederick William D'Evelyn, Slaughter of Blue Jays: “I remember as a boy in my native land…”.

Lineage

  1. Frankishc. 250–700*raubōnWiktionary, Latin raubouncertain
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEraubōWiktionary, Old French roberas raubāre‘to rob, plunder’uncertain
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400roberWiktionary, English robber‘to rob’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400robeorWiktionary, English robber‘thief’uncertain
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500robbourWiktionary, English robber‘a robber or burglar’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1907robberWiktionary, English robber. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1907, Frederick William D'Evelyn, Slaughter of Blue Jays: “I remember as a boy in my native land…”

The story

And compare rover (‘a pirate’), another word of the same composition.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Frankish *raubōn

rob, 1 more

Today it means

noun A person who robs.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “robber”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin raubo, Old French rober. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Frankish *raubōn / robber

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