biche

French

Etymology

Middle French, from Old French biche (“doe, female deer”) and bisse (“wild animal”), of uncertain origin and relation. The form bisse is almost certainly from Vulgar Latin bistia, variant of Latin bēstia (compare bête); however, the contemporary biche is an enigma, and possibly unrelated. It may be the Picard form of bisse, (compare chent for cent) or may share origin with Middle French bique (“nanny-goat”), believed to be derived from Proto-Germanic *bik (“goat”). More at bouc.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /biʃ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

biche f (plural biches)

1. doe, hind

Verb

biche

1. first-person singular present indicative of bicher
2. third-person singular present indicative of bicher
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of bicher
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of bicher
5. second-person singular imperative of bicher

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Jèrriais

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

biche f (plural biches)

1. goat
2. drunk woman

Coordinate terms

• trop-pliein (“drunk man”)

Derived terms

• bichot (“billy goat”)
• bichette (“female kid”)

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• bicche
• biche
• becche
• buche
• bikk

Etymology

From Old English biċċe, from Proto-Germanic *bikjǭ (compare Norwegian bikkja (“dog”), Old Danish bikke), from *bikjaną (“to thrust, attack”) (compare Old Norse bikkja (“plunge into water”), Dutch bikken (“to hack”)). More at bicker.

Noun

biche (plural biches)

1. bitch (female dog)
2. (of a woman) bitch (despicable or disagreeable woman)
3. (of a man) bitch (despicable or heathen man)

Descendants

• English: bitch

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Old French

Noun

biche f (oblique plural biches, nominative singular biche, nominative plural biches)

1. Alternative form of bisse.