reynard
/ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d/ noun, proper noun
Forms reynards
- noun (dialect) A fox.
- proper noun A male given name.
- proper noun A surname originating as a patronymic.
- proper noun (literary, poetic) A name in European folklore for the red fox.
- proper noun A locality in the Shire of Wellington and the Shire of Mansfield, south eastern Victoria, Australia.
Etymology
From French renard.
Inherited from Middle English Renard, from Old French Renart (Modern renard (“fox”)), influenced by Middle Dutch Reynaerd, both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Raginaharduz, from *raginą (“decision, advice, counsel”) + *harduz (“hard, strong”). Compare German Reinhard, Old High German Reginhart (“strong in counsel”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “reynard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details