Etymology: Originally two words, Old English buc and bucca, which became indistinguishable in form after 11th cent. So far as the evidence goes, Old English buc was used for the male deer, and bucca for the he-goat, but the instances are so few that it is far from certain that the words were thus distinguished in meaning. Old English buc = Middle Dutch boc, Dutch bok, Old High German bocch (Middle High German boc, modern German bock), Old Norse bukkr (Swedish bock, Danish buk), all meaning primarily ‘he-goat’, though in each of the modern languages applied to male animals of the deer kind (in Danish also to the ram) < Old Germanic *bukko-z. This was adopted (only in the sense ‘he-goat’) in French bouc, Provençal boc, Catalan boc, Old Spanish buco (Diez); also, in same sense, as Welsh bwch, Irish, Gaelic boc. The extended form represented by Old English bucca ( < Old Germanic *bukkon-) appears to exist in Old Norse bokki ‘my good fellow, old buck’ (Vigfusson), but is otherwise peculiar to English. (With Old Germanic *bukko- Fick compares Avestan bûza he-goat, also Sanskrit bukka he-goat; but the Germanic does not phonetically correspond to these. Franck thinks it doubtful whether the word is native Germanic, or rather an early adoption from some other language.)

Etymology: Abbreviated from the full names buckwheat n., buck-mast n.

Etymology: In the sense of ‘lye, washing’, evidently belonging to buck v.¹, from which it is perhaps formed by conversion. Whether sense 1 ‘washing-tub’ (?) has the same origin, or whether the word in this sense is distinct, and to be referred to Old English búc , ? buc , ‘lagena’ (see bowk n.) is not evident.

Etymology: Origin unknown. Perhaps compare bucket n.¹, buck n.³ 1, or bowk n.

Etymology: perhaps a form of bouk n., Old English búc belly, body, trunk, etc.; compare senses 1, 2 (if these are genuine, and rightly placed here). But the phonetic history is not clear, though the shortening of long ú is found in suck < súcan.

Etymology: < buck v.²

Etymology: < Dutch zaag-boc, German sägebock, or shortly bock; the same word as bock goat; so French chèvre.

Etymology: Origin obscure.

Etymology: Origin obscure.

Etymology: < buck v.³

Etymology: < Hindi bak, Hindi buk buk.

Etymology: The stem of buck v.¹ used attributively = bucking.

Etymology: Probably < buck n.¹ 2.

Etymology: Middle English bouken , bowken , answering to an Old English type *búcian not found. Cognate words appear both in Germanic and Romanic; compare Old High German *bûhhen , Middle High German bûchen , German bäuchen , beuchen , Low German büken , Swedish byka , to steep in lye; German beuche , Swedish byk lye, a wash of clothes. Also French buer < Latin type *bucāre to steep in lye, wash clothes, Italian bucata , Spanish bugada , French buée lye, a wash of clothes. The relation of the Germanic and Romanic words is not settled: Kluge thinks the Germanic may be original: see also Diez, and compare buck n.³

Etymology: < buck n.¹

Etymology: < buck n.¹

Etymology: perhaps < buck n.⁷

Etymology: Compare Dutch boken, boocken ‘to beat or to strike’, Hexham.

Etymology: ? corruption of butt, associated with buck n.¹

Etymology: < buck n.¹ 2.