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Originally posted by mouse31e+Feb 8 2006, 10:48 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (mouse31e @ Feb 8 2006, 10:48 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
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Originally posted by rlbell@Feb 8 2006, 01:45 PM
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Originally posted by mouse31e@Feb 8 2006, 01:01 AM
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@Feb 8 2006, 12:44 AM
It amused me to learn that Richard is an old english word for tyrant, or harsh ruler.
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More likely, it means brave/hard leader with reference to strength rather than brutality and it's Germanic, not English.
My name is Andrew. I won't add a picture because I don't have any!
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No, its old english. It may have a common root with a similar german word, but it is english.
English is like that. A friend of mine, James Nichols (not famous, but you might have heard of him), once commented:
People who go on about the purity of the english language amuse me. English has the purity of a cribhouse lady. It does not just borrow words, it lures weaker languages into back alleys, and then rolls them for any spare words in their pockets.
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According to the two sources I've listed below (which admittedly may not be completely accurate, but I couldn't be bothered to dig any deeper!) the name is made up from the germanic elements 'ric' (meaning power, rule, leader, braveheart) and 'hard' (meaning brave, hardy, strong) and was introduced to the english language by norman settlers from europe. This would imply that the name was in use elsewhere prior to it's use in England.
http://www.behindthename.com/php/view.php?name=richard and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard. [/b][/quote]
There are plenty of names ending in '-ric' well before the conquest, though, and the word 'hard' (or something very similar-looking - I can't be bothered to check my OE-dictionary right now) is definitely pre-Norman. So the name's
roots are most likely Anglo-Saxon, even if the actual name isn't. And since Anglo-Saxon is largely a Germanic language, that would mean you're both right.