The invention of the word hobbit is traditionally ascribed to J. R. R. Tolkien. When The Hobbit was first published, however, there was some debate over the "actual" origins of the word. This debate would continue for some time. Generally 'Hobbit' is taken as an invention by Tolkien, and his heirs hold a trademark on the name.
This might be retracted in future releases of the dictionary (see below).
Tolkien suggested it was possible that he had e...
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The invention of the word hobbit is traditionally ascribed to J. R. R. Tolkien. When The Hobbit was first published, however, there was some debate over the "actual" origins of the word. This debate would continue for some time. Generally 'Hobbit' is taken as an invention by Tolkien, and his heirs hold a trademark on the name.
This might be retracted in future releases of the dictionary (see below).
Tolkien suggested it was possible that he had encountered the term in his childhood but had forgotten about it, only to have it resurface in his mind years later at a disconnected moment of inspiration. However, he believed this to be highly unlikely, and only recently has there surfaced even the slightest bit of evidence to support this.
The Middle English word hobbe has manifested in many creatures of folklore as the prefix hob- (which incidentally would be its modern spelling, compare shoppe > shop).
Old related words are : hob, hobby, hobgoblin, Hobberdy Dick (house-sprite, hobgoblin),...
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