Etymograph

English

robinet

Robinet comes from French robinet ‘tap (UK), faucet (US)’, and goes back to robin ‘sheep’.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentrobin1‘sheep’
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentrobinet2‘tap (UK), faucet (US)’
  3. Englishtodayrobinet2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, French robinet
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English robinet

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentrobinWiktionary, French robinet‘sheep’
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentrobinetWiktionary, English robinet‘tap (UK), faucet (US)’
  3. EnglishtodayrobinetWiktionary, English robinet

Every English word from French robin

Today it means

noun A tap; a faucet.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “robinet”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for French robinet. 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 / French robin / robinet

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