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Origin and history of doe

doe(n.)

"female of the deer" (the male is a buck), from Old English da "a female deer," which is of unknown origin, perhaps a Celtic loan-word (compare Cornish da "fallow deer," Old Irish dam "ox," Welsh dafad "sheep"). The native word is hind (n.). Similar words in continental Germanic and Scandinavian (such as Old High German tamo) appear to be from or have been altered by influence of Latin damma "a deer." Doe-eyed, of girls, is from 1845.

Entries linking to doe

hind(n.)

"female deer," Old English hind, from Proto-Germanic *hinthjo (source also of Old Norse hind, Dutch hinde, Old High German hinta, German Hindin (with added fem. suffix) "hind"). This is perhaps from PIE *kemti-, from root *kem- (1) "hornless" (source also of Greek kemas "young deer, gazelle," Lithuanian šmulas "hornless," Old Norse skammr "short, brief").

doeskin(adj.)

also doe-skin, "made from the skin of a doe," mid-15c., from doe + skin (n.).

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    Trends of doe

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    epididymis
    I doe not slight your act in the discovery, But your imposture, sir, and beastly practise Was before whisper'd to me...
    admire
    Doe not admire why I admire : My fever is no other's fire : Each severall heart hath his desire ; Els proof is false...
    tweed
    stealing on the 15th of April 2 ¼ yards of woollen cloth, called tweed, value 12s., and 2 ¼ yards of woollen cloth, called doe...
    god
    How poore, how narrow, how impious a measure of God, is this, that he must doe, as thou wouldest doe, if thou wert God....
    ode
    1580s, from French ode (c. 1500), from Late Latin ode "lyric song," from Greek ōidē, an Attic contraction of aoidē "song, ode;" related to aeidein (Attic aidein) "to sing;" aoidos (Attic oidos) "a singer, singing;" aude "voice, tone, sound," probably from a PIE *e-weid-, perhaps
    energy
    1590s, "force of expression," from French énergie (16c.), from Late Latin energia, from Greek energeia "activity, action, operation," from energos "active, working," from en "at" (see en- (2)) + -ergos "that works," from ergon "work, that which is wrought; business; action" (from
    buck
    "male deer," c. 1300, earlier "male goat;" from Old English bucca "male goat," from Proto-Germanic *bukkon (source also of Old Saxon buck, Middle Dutch boc, Dutch bok, Old High German boc, German Bock, Old Norse bokkr), perhaps from a PIE root *bhugo (source also of Avestan buza
    theory
    1590s, "conception, mental scheme," from Late Latin theoria (Jerome), from Greek theōria "contemplation, speculation; a looking at, viewing; a sight, show, spectacle, things looked at," from theōrein "to consider, speculate, look at," from theōros "spectator," from thea "a view"
    museum
    1610s, "the university building in Alexandria," from Latin museum "library, study," from Greek mouseion "place of study, library or museum, school of art or poetry," originally "a temple or shrine of the Muses," from Mousa "Muse" (see muse (n.)). The earliest use in reference to
    nance
    "effeminate man, male homosexual who takes the passive role," 1924, from female name Nancy (q.v.), which was in use as an adjective meaning "effeminate" (applied to men) by 1904 in prison slang, a shortening of earlier Miss Nancy, a derogatory term for a finicky, effeminate man w

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