Costard
/ˈkɒstɑːd/noun
A large, old-fashioned variety of apple; also a slang term in Middle English for a person's head.
Did you know?In Middle English, **costard** could mean both a large apple and a head, and the same word later survived in Shakespeare’s time as a comic insult for a person’s noggin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kost-
“A root associated with a bone or hard covering”
Latin
Latin
costa
“Rib, side, or hard curved support”
Old French
OFr
coste
“Side or rib”
Middle English
ME
costard
“A large apple; also a head”
Modern English
English
costard
“An old apple variety; archaic or humorous term for the head”