"(digger) has also been suggested as a source. A male badger is a boar, a female is a sow, and a young badger is a cub. A badger's home is called a sett. Badger colonies are often called clans. The far older name ""brock"" (Old English: ""brocc""), (Scots: ""brock"") is a Celtic loanword (cf. Gaelic ""broc"" and Welsh ""broch"", from Proto-Celtic ""*brokko"") meaning ""grey"". The Proto-Germanic term was ""*þahsu-"" (cf. German ""Dachs"", Dutch ""das"", Norwegian ""svin""-""toks""; Early Modern English: ""dasse""), probably from the PIE root ""*tek'-"" ""to construct,"" so the badger would have been named after its digging of setts"
"in Latin glosses, replacing ""mēlēs"" (""marten"" or ""badger""), and from these words the common Romance terms for the animal evolved (Italian ""tasso"", French ""taisson""—""blaireau"" is now more common—Catalan ""toixó"", Spanish ""tejón"", Portuguese ""texugo""). A male European badger is a boar, a female is a sow, and a young badger is a cub. In North America the young are usually called kits, while the terms male and female are generally used for adults. A collective name suggested for a group of colonial badgers is a cete, but badger colonies are more often called clans. A badger's home is called a sett."
"was used in southern Ireland. The badger is commonly referred to in Welsh as a ""mochyn daear"" (earth pig). The species likely evolved from the Chinese ""Meles thorali"" of the early Pleistocene. The modern species originated during the early Middle Pleistocene, with fossil sites occurring in Episcopia, Grombasek, Süssenborn, Hundsheim, Erpfingen, Koneprusy, Mosbach 2, and Stránská Skála. A comparison between fossil and living specimens shows a marked progressive adaptation to omnivory, namely in the increase in the molars' surface areas and the modification of the carnassials. Occasionally, badger bones may be discovered in strata from much earlier dates, due to"
"(tunnels); the Germanic term ""*þahsu-"" became ""taxus"" or ""taxō"", -""ōnis"" in Latin glosses, replacing ""mēlēs"" (""marten"" or ""badger""), and from these words the common Romance terms for the animal evolved (Italian ""tasso"", French ""tesson/taisson/tasson""—now ""blaireau"" is more common—, Catalan ""toixó"", Spanish ""tejón"", Portuguese ""texugo""). Until the mid-18th century, European badgers were variously known in English as 'brock', 'pate', 'grey' and 'bawson'. The name ""bawson"" is derived from ""bawsened"", which refers to something striped with white. ""Pate"" is a local name which was once popular in northern England. The name ""badget"" was once common, but restricted to Norfolk, while ""earth dog"""
"Bugbear A bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the bogeyman (or bugaboo or babau), and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. Its name is derived from the Middle English word ""bugge"" (a frightening thing), or perhaps the old Welsh word ""bwg"" (evil spirit or goblin), or old Scots ""bogill"" (goblin), and has cognates in German ""bögge"" or ""böggel-mann"" (goblin), and most probably also English ""bogeyman"" and American English ""bugaboo"". In medieval England, the Bugbear was depicted as a creepy bear that lurked in the"
"a trait which has been exploited in the now illegal blood sport of badger-baiting. Bovine tuberculosis can sometimes affect badgers, and therefore a controversial trial culling of 70% of the population in areas of prolific TB outbreaks has taken place. No verifiable statistical data has however been published to support claims of a resulting 16% reduction. The source of the word ""badger"" is uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary states it probably derives from ""badge"" + ""-ard"", referring to the white mark borne like a badge on its forehead, and may date to the early sixteenth century. The French word ""bêcheur"""
"Bairn Bairn is a Scots, Scottish English, and Northern English term for a child. It originated in Old English as ""bearn"", becoming chiefly Scottish c. 1700. Cain bairns are children seized by witches and warlocks as tribute for the devil. Examples of the term's use include the phrase ""Jock Tamson's Bairns"" as an idiomatic expression of egalitarian sentiment and the title of the 19th century Geordie folk song ""Come Geordie ha'd the bairn."" ""Baloo Baleerie"", a traditional Scottish lullaby, incorporates the term repeatedly, as does ""The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry"", a traditional folk song from Orkney. The UK named"
"jumped when disturbed. The grooming seems to disadvantage fleas rather than merely having a social function. Badgers play a part in European folklore and are featured in modern literature. In Irish mythology, badgers are portrayed as shape-shifters and kinsmen to Tadg, the king of Tara and foster father of Cormac mac Airt. In one story, Tadg berates his adopted son for having killed and prepared some badgers for dinner. In German folklore, the badger is portrayed as a cautious, peace-loving Philistine, who loves more than anything his home, family and comfort, though he can become aggressive if surprised. He is"
"in the 18th century. ""Badger"" has its origin in the Old English language of the Anglo-Saxons. It has no connection with the mammal, spelled similarly: as late as the 1870s, the alternative spelling ""Bagsore"" was current. The late Margaret Gelling, a specialist in Midland toponyms, formerly based at the University of Birmingham separates it into two separate elements: The village of Badger is located in the angle created by the confluence of the River Worfe, also known as the Cosford Brook, and one of its tributaries, known as the Batch, the Heath or the Snowdon Brook. The Snowdon Brook approximately"
"woods to scare children. It was described in this manner in an English translation of a 1565 Italian play ""The Buggbear"". In a modern context, the term ""bugbear"" may also mean pet peeve. Bugbear A bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the bogeyman (or bugaboo or babau), and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. Its name is derived from the Middle English word ""bugge"" (a frightening thing), or perhaps the old Welsh word ""bwg"" (evil spirit or goblin), or old Scots ""bogill"" (goblin), and"
"far as 1794. It is said that the “gadhar,” a dog written about in ancient Irish texts, is a direct ancestor of the Kerry Beagle. Local legend has it that when Noah's ark came to rest against Galtymore, the highest peak in Tipperary, two black and tan hounds scented a fox and leapt off in pursuit, never to be seen again. By the 1800s the Kerry Beagle's numbers had dwindled in Ireland, with only one major pack maintained, the famous Scarteen of County Limerick belonging to the Ryan family, which still exists today. Originally bred as staghounds, today they are"
"impotence, which casts a different swagger on a phrase from the Latin comic poet Afranius: ""The cloaked Gaul, fattened up on badger grease."" The Gaulish word ""tasgos"" may be related to an Indo-European root meaning ""peg, stake,"" because of the badger's pointed nose; it has been argued that the root can also have a phallic meaning, and that the use of ""taxea"" for impotence was thus a form of sympathetic magic. Although its cultural significance among the Celts of Gaul is murky, the badger appears much later as a totem animal for Tadhg mac Céin, a legendary insular Celtic king"
"Crinna, against Fergus Dubdétach, king of the Ulaid. Tadc's role in the battle and the battle's wider context are related in the saga, ""Cath Crinna"" ('the battle of Crinna'). Another medieval text, ""Eachtra Thaidg Mhic Chéin"" ('Tadg mac Céin's adventure'), narrates an earlier, fantastical expedition by Tadc to rescue his people from captivity overseas. The Old Irish name, ""Tadc"", is thought to be derived from Gaulish, *""tazgos"", meaning 'badger'. Another story about Tadc mac Céin, found in its earliest form in ""Sanas Cormaic"", revolves around Tadc having a dietary taboo against eating badgers. As Mac an Bhaird argues, this implies"
"However, some etymologies suggest it derives from the old Irish for ""raven"", a bird laden with mystical meaning for the Celts, and often used to mean ""legend"" or ""legendary"". Similarly, it might refer specifically to Corb, one of the legendary Fomorians of Irish mythology. Today the name is typically listed in baby names books as meaning ""raven"" or ""legend"" or sometimes as ""charioteer"". Cormac Cormac is a masculine given name in the Irish and English languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language and is also seen in the rendered Old Norse as ""Kormákr"". Mac is Irish for ""son"","
"Bodach A bodach (; plural ""bodaich"" ""old man; rustic, churl, lout""; Old Irish ""botach""), is a trickster or bogeyman figure in Gaelic folklore and mythology. The ""bodach"" ""old man"" is paired with the ""cailleach"" ""hag, old woman"" in Irish legend. ""Bodach"" (Old Irish also ""botach"") is the Irish word for a tenant, a serf or peasant. It is derived from ""bod"" (Old Irish ""bod"") ""tail, penis"". The word has alternatively been derived from ""both"" ""cottage, hut"" (probably a borrowing from Old Norse, as is English ""booth""). The term ""botach"" ""tenant farmer"" is thus equivalent to a cotter (the ""cotarius"" of"
"Budgerigar The budgerigar (; ""Melopsittacus undulatus"") is a long-tailed, seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie, or in American English, the parakeet. Budgies are the only species in the genus ""Melopsittacus"". Naturally, the species is green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings. Budgies are bred in captivity with colouring of blues, whites, yellows, greys, and even with small crests. Juveniles and chicks are monomorphic, while adults are told apart by their cere colouring, and their behaviour. The origin of the budgie's name is unclear. First recorded in 1805, budgerigars are popular pets around the world"
"Success Stories of the year. However, in 2013, it seems, these successes have been negated with reports of possibly only 100 mountain bongos left in the wild due to logging and poaching. The scientific name of the bongo is ""Tragelaphus eurycerus"", and it belongs to the genus ""Tragelaphus"" and family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1837. The generic name ""Tragelaphus"" is composed of two Greek words: ""tragos"", meaning a male goat; and ""elaphos"", meaning deer. The specific name ""eurycerus"" originated from the fusion of ""eurus"" (broad, widespread) and ""keras"" (an animal's horn). The common"
"obice saevior"""" (""fiercer because of the obstruction"", describing a river which when dammed only flowed more violently), but inverted by changing """"saevior"""" (""fiercer"") for """"suavior"""" (""gentler""), according to John D. Christie, reflecting the bear's muzzle on the heraldic crest. The ""Galbraith"" tartan is known by several different names, including ""Russell"", ""Mitchell"" and ""Hunter"". The tartan was known as Galbraith in the collections of the Highland Society of London. The tartan is recorded by William Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn as a ""Hunter"" in 1819, and a ""Russell"" in 1847. Clan Galbraith Clan Galbraith is a Scottish clan. The clan does"
"of those who are kind, generous, and humane. The name ""Tasgetius"" derives from Gaulish ""tasgos"", also ""tascos"" or ""taxos"", ""badger,"" an element found in many other Celtic personal names from inscriptions, such as ""Tascos"", ""Tasgillus"", ""Tassca"", and ""Tasciovanus"" (""Badger Killer""), as well as in place names. Moritasgus (""Great Badger"" or ""Sea Badger"") was the name of a ruler of the Senones contemporary with Tasgetius, and was also the name of a Celtic healing deity in territory within the Aeduan sphere of influence (see Moritasgus). Another Celtic word for ""badger,"" ""broccos"", also yields a number of personal and place names. The"
"from an Irish legend that tells of a monster resembling a large bear (although much of the description of the creature has been lost over time), the Dargason tormented the Irish countryside. During the Irish uprising of the late 18th century, the dargason is supposed to have attacked a British camp killing many soldiers. This tale aside, 'dargason' is more likely derived from an Old English word for dwarf or fairy, and the tune has been considered English (or Welsh) since at least the 16th century. It is also known as 'Sedony' (or Sedany) or 'Welsh Sedony'. Holst later rewrote"
"an 1810 edition of ""The Sporting Magazine"", wrote; The hair of the European badger has been used for centuries for making sporrans and shaving brushes. Sporrans are traditionally worn as part of male Scottish highland dress. They form a bag or pocket made from a pelt and a badger or other animal's mask may be used as a flap. The pelt was also formerly used for pistol furniture. European badger The European badger (""Meles meles"") also known as the Eurasian badger or simply badger""', is a species of badger in the family Mustelidae and is native to almost all of"
"bears its original name of ""Larus marinus"". The scientific name is from Latin. ""Larus"" appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name ""marinus"" means ""marine"". This predates Linnean taxonomy, as it had been called ""Larus ingens marinus"" by Carolus Clusius. Baagie or Baigie is a local name from the Shetland Islands. Francis Willughby called it the great black and white gull in the 17th century, noting that it was called the Swarth-back in the Faeroe Islands. This is the largest gull in the world, considerably larger than a herring gull (""Larus argentatus""). Only a"
"seventeenth centuries before evolving into ""a set of sharply delineated regional traditions"". Láir Bhán Láir Bhán is a hobby horse that was part of a folk custom found in parts of Ireland, particularly in the area of County Kerry, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Irish term ""Láir Bhán"" translates as ""White Mare"". This meaning is identical, and pronounced similarly to, the Manx hobby horse custom known as the ""Laare Vane"". It also has parallels with the Welsh name of the ""Mari Lwyd"", a hobby horse found in southern Wales, which has been translated as ""Grey Mare"". Most records"
"bitten by someone from Skerries. Balbriggan Balbriggan (; ) is a town in the northern part of Fingal, Ireland. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs. According to P.W. Joyce, the name arises from ""Baile Breacain"" [sic], which literally means ""Brecan's Town"". Brecan is a common medieval first name and there are several other Brackenstowns in Ireland. There is also a possible link to the local Bracken River, in which case the name could derive from ""breicín,"" meaning ""little trout"". Many locals however have traditionally felt that ""Baile Brigín"" means ""Town of the Little Hills"", due"
"Láir Bhán Láir Bhán is a hobby horse that was part of a folk custom found in parts of Ireland, particularly in the area of County Kerry, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Irish term ""Láir Bhán"" translates as ""White Mare"". This meaning is identical, and pronounced similarly to, the Manx hobby horse custom known as the ""Laare Vane"". It also has parallels with the Welsh name of the ""Mari Lwyd"", a hobby horse found in southern Wales, which has been translated as ""Grey Mare"". Most records of the tradition come from County Kerry. There are various reported instances"
"The name ""leprechaun"" is derived from the Irish word , defined by Patrick Dinneen as ""a pigmy, a sprite, or leprechaun"". The further derivation is less certain; according to most sources, the word is thought to be a corruption of Middle Irish ""luchrupán"", from the Old Irish , a compound of the roots ""lú"" (""small"") and ""corp"" (""body""). The root ""corp"", which was borrowed from the Latin ""corpus"", attests to the early influence of Ecclesiastical Latin on the Irish language. The alternative spelling ""leithbrágan"" stems from a folk etymology deriving the word from ""leith"" (half) and ""bróg"" (brogue), because of"
"European badger The European badger (""Meles meles"") also known as the Eurasian badger or simply badger""', is a species of badger in the family Mustelidae and is native to almost all of Europe and some parts of West Asia. Several subspecies are recognized; the nominate subspecies (""Meles meles meles"") predominates over most of Europe. The European badger is classified as being of least concern by the IUCN as it has a wide range and a large population size which is stable, and even increasing in some areas. The European badger is a powerfully built black, white, brown and grey animal"
"Boggart Boggart is one of numerous related terms used in English folklore for either a household spirit or a malevolent ""genius loci"" inhabiting fields, marshes or other topographical features. Other names of this group include ""bug"", ""bugbear"", ""bogey"", ""bogun"", ""bogeyman"", ""bogle"", etc., presumably all derived from (or related to) Old English ""pūcel"", Irish púca and Welsh ""bwg"" with the same meaning (itself a probable loan from the English ""bug""). The household form causes mischief and things to disappear, milk to sour, and dogs to go lame. The boggarts inhabiting marshes or holes in the ground are often attributed more serious"
"Badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae, which also includes the otters, polecats, weasels, and wolverines. They belong to the caniform suborder of carnivoran mammals. The 11 species of badgers are grouped in three subfamilies: Melinae (9 species, including the Eurasian badger), Mellivorinae (the honey badger or ratel), and Taxideinae (the American badger). The Asiatic stink badgers of the genus ""Mydaus"" were formerly included within Melinae (and thus Mustelidae), but recent genetic evidence indicates these are actually members of the skunk family, placing them in the taxonomic family Mephitidae. They include the species in the genera ""Arctonyx"", ""Meles"","
"Retriever (#3) breeds. According to the ""Oxford English Dictionary"", the first mention of the beagle by name in English literature dates from c. 1475 in ""The Squire of Low Degree"". The origin of the word ""beagle"" is uncertain, although it has been suggested that the word derives from the French ""begueule"". It is not known why the black and tan Kerry Beagle, present in Ireland since Celtic times, has the ""beagle"" description, since at it is significantly taller than the modern day beagle, and in earlier times was even larger. Some writers suggest that the beagle's scenting ability may have"
"Barghest In Northern English folklore, the Barghest or Barguest is a mythical monstrous black dog with large teeth and claws, though in other cases the name can refer to a ghost or household elf, especially in Northumberland and Durham, such as the Cauld Lad of Hylton. ""Ghost"" in Northern England was pronounced ""guest,"" and the origin is thought to be of the combination ""burh-ghest"", ""town-ghost."" Others explain it as cognate to German ""Berg-geist"", ""mountain demon"" or ""Bär-geist"", ""bear-demon"". Another mooted derivation is ""Bier-Geist"", the ""spirit of the funeral bier"". One notable case is said to frequent a remote gorge named"
"although 'dobhar' is also (rarely) used. 'Dobhar' is a much older form and cognates are found in other Celtic languages (e.g. Welsh, 'dwr', water). 'Cú' is 'hound' in Irish (see, for example, 'Cúchulainn', the hound of Culainn).The Dobhar-chú is also known as the ""dobarcu"", and anglicised as ""doyarchu"" and ""dhuragoo"". Dobhar-chú The Dobhar-chú (, lit. ""water dog"" or ""water hound"") or King Otter is a creature of Irish folklore. It resembles both a dog and an otter though sometimes is described as a half dog, half fish. It lives in water and has fur with protective properties. A headstone, found"
"They have black faces with distinctive white markings, grey bodies with a light-coloured stripe from head to tail, and dark legs with light-coloured underbellies. They grow to around in length including tail. The European badger is one of the largest; the American badger, the hog badger, and the honey badger are generally a little smaller and lighter. Stink badgers are smaller still, and ferret badgers smallest of all. They weigh around , with some Eurasian badgers around . The word ""badger"", originally applied to the European badger (""Meles meles""), comes from earlier ""bageard"" (16th century), presumably referring to the white"