Serious question: What's the origin of the word "bitch"? Possible military history explanation?

[AndrewR]

I was in France last month and made a trip to the small Alsatian town of Bitche (pronounced similarly to "beach") which has an imposing citadel overlooking the town. Back in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, the fortress was beseiged by the Prussians from August 1870 through May 1871 (may have been March) and only surrendered under the conditions of the garrison, not the beseiging forces. The garrison marched out of the fortress with all arms and full military honors. Fascinating story actually. The tour is very well done if anyone has the chance to go.

Anyway, it struck me that the name of the town (and citadel) is essentially the word "bitch" in English. I wondered to myself if the name of the town was taken by the Prussians to mean something incredibly difficult or vexing or problematic and has since been transplanted into English as an auxiliary definition of the historical definition of female dog (which apparently dates quite far back in English).

Anyone have any research?

 

[GoodRevrnd]

If you have access to OED, that should tell you the roots of bitch.

 

[hjo3]

From Dictionary.com:
Middle English bicche, from Old English bicce.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: GoodRevrnd
If you have access to OED, that should tell you the roots of bitch.

i miss the OED, its one of the reasons im thinking about giong back to the university

 

[Looney]

WHAT?! A subscription to OED costs $500 a year!

 

[Deleted member 4644]

As far as I know, bitch has always been associated with dogs

 

[WinkOsmosis]

What's OED? Old English Dictionary?

 

[AvesPKS]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
What's OED? Old English Dictionary?

Oxford English Dictionary.

 

[AndrewR]

Could someone look it up in OED? I realize that the original roots of the word date back numerous centuries, but I am wondering specifically about the vulgar connotation of the word meaning, "Something difficult", as in "That problem is a bitch".

 

[So]

Originally posted by: LordSegan
As far as I know, bitch has always been associated with dogs

I think he means the origin of the meaning: "That (task) was a bitch," not "She's a bitch"

 

[ndee]

it's from witch.

 

[freegeeks]

The word ?bitch? [also see posting #2072 & #2113 (but be wary of proposed etymology in 2113)] has two possibilities; it could be the noun or the verb. As a noun it has come to mean, among other things, a malicious, spiteful, promiscuous, or otherwise despicable woman (of which your ?argumentative and opinionated? person, if a women, would definitely be displaying one aspect). It has its origin in Old English and originally meant female dog. The use of the word as a derogatory term for ?woman? (an unpleasant one) began in the 14th century with its association with a female dog in heat and thus a lewd women or ?slut.? The word was commonly applied to both males and females, and not always in a derogatory sense, up through the early 19th century when it took a proto-Victorian turn for the worse. At that time, to say that a women was a bitch had deteriorated to meaning that she was even worse than a prostitute. Francis Grose characterized the word as ?the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English women, even more provoking than that of a whore, as may be gathered from the regular Billingsgate or St. Giles answer??I may be a whore, but can?t be a bitch? ?(from ?A Classical Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue,? 1796). And in the Oxford English Dictionary where the letter ?B? was prepared in the 1882-88 period, it was stated ?Not now in decent use, but formerly common in literature.?


The common verb sense of ?bitch,? ?bitching,? etc. came into use in the U.S. in about 1910 meaning to complain, give negative opinions, gripe, bellyache, (as in ?to bitch and moan?) and this could be done by a male (but not as well, of course) (< or a female. However, in the early 18th century the verb had meant to call someone a bitch <OED 1709 ??cursing and bitching?>). In the 1930s this verb also turned into a noun where ?a bitch? meant a complaint.



link

it doesn't really say where the word comes from but it's a start ...

 

[freegeeks]

The actual, primary meaning of the word "bitch" was a female dog, or more
generally a female canine (female wolf, female coyote, and so forth).
The origin of the term is apparently from old Norse, bikkja, or old German
bekjon, through Old English, bicce, through Middle English, bicche, to the modern
English spelling and pronunciation. In various forms, then, this term for a
female dog has been in use for over a thousand years.

Modern English
bitch

Middle English
bicche

Old English
bicce

Old Norse
bikkja

Old German
bekjon










link