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​I recently received an intriguing question about the connection between the word badger, referring to the animal, and the verb to badger, meaning “to pester”. Surprisingly, there is no direct relationship between the two! The verb badger originated in the late 18th century from a previous verb that meant “to trade”. Over time, it evolved to mean “to haggle” and eventually took on a more bothersome connotation. The original “trade” verb was first documented in 1600 and appears to have stemmed from a noun spelled badger, which was associated with traders, particularly fur traders (hence the name). The origin of this noun is uncertain, but it is widely believed to be unrelated to the animal name or anything related to bagging. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it could have derived from an Old English surname or various Latin botanical names.
​I recently received an intriguing question about the connection between the word badger, referring to the animal, and the verb to badger, meaning “to pester”. Surprisingly, there is no direct relationship between the two! The verb badger originated in the late 18th century from a previous verb that meant “to trade”. Over time, it evolved to mean “to haggle” and eventually took on a more bothersome connotation. The original “trade” verb was first documented in 1600 and appears to have stemmed from a noun spelled badger, which was associated with traders, particularly fur traders (hence the name). The origin of this noun is uncertain, but it is widely believed to be unrelated to the animal name or anything related to bagging. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it could have derived from an Old English surname or various Latin botanical names.
