Broc
/brɒk/noun
An archaic or dialectal English word for a badger.
Did you know?The word survives in the better-known form “brock,” especially in dialects and surnames, preserving an ancient Celtic name for the badger.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic, before 1st century BCE
Proto-Celtic
*brokkos
“Badger; a reconstructed Celtic animal-name”
1st century BCE–1st century CE
Gaulish
broccos
“Badger; recorded as a Celtic form in ancient continental Europe”
Old English, before 1100
Old English
brocc
“Badger”
Middle English, 12th–15th century
Middle English
brok
“Badger”
Modern English, 16th century onward
English
brock / broc
“A badger, chiefly archaic, dialectal, or regional”