cob

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a strong, compact horse with short legs, commonly used for riding or pulling a carriage

   The sturdy cob carried its rider safely over the rough lane.

2. 2
   noun

   the central cylindrical core of an ear of maize, on which the kernels grow

   After dinner, only the bare cob remained on the plate.

3. 3
   noun

   a male swan

   The cob guarded the nesting pen from other birds.

4. 4
   noun

   a rounded loaf, lump, or large nut such as a cobnut

   The baker placed a crusty cob beside the soup.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Cob originally referred to a strong man or leader and may be related to Old English copp, “top” or “head.” Its many later senses—including a nut, a rounded loaf, the core of an ear of corn, a male swan, and a sturdy short-legged horse—probably share an underlying idea of stoutness, roundness, or sturdiness. Cobble, originally a rounded paving stone, derives from cob, but cobbler “shoe repairer” is unrelated and of unknown origin.

The many senses probably have more than one origin. Middle English cobbe denoted a male swan and also a leader or large object; some rounded-object senses may be related to cop, 'head or top.' The compact horse, corncob, loaf, and nut all preserve the idea of a stout or rounded form.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary