Roger

Roger is a masculine given name and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names Roger and Rogier. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements hrōd, χrōþi ("fame", "renown", "honour") and gār, gēr ("spear", "lance") (Hrōþigēraz). The name was introduced into England by the Normans.[2] In Normandy, the Frankish name had been reinforced by the Old Norse cognate Hróðgeirr.[3] The name introduced into England replaced the Old English cognate Hroðgar. Roger became a very common given name during the Middle Ages. A variant form of the given name Roger that is closer to the name’s origin is Rodger.[4]

For other uses, see Roger (disambiguation).

Roger
Pronunciation/ˈrɒdʒər, ˈroʊdʒər/[1]
GenderMasculine
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Germanic
Derivationhrōd + gār, gēr
Meaning"fame", "renown" + "spear", "lance" literally - "famous spear"
Other names
Variant form(s)Rodger, Rüdiger, Rutger
See alsoRobert, Rudolph, Rodney, Roderick

Slang

Roger is also a short version of the term "Jolly Roger", which refers to a black flag with a white skull and crossbones, formerly used by sea pirates since as early as 1723.

From c. 1650 to c. 1870, Roger was slang for the word "penis", possibly due to the origin of the name involving fame with a spear.[5][6][7] Subsequently, "to roger" became a slang verb form meaning "to have sex with", "to penetrate".

In 19th-century England, Roger was slang for the cloud of toxic green gas that swept through the chlorine bleach factories periodically.[8]

In Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas writes "jolly, rodgered" suggesting both "Jolly Roger", the pirate flag, and the slang for "penis".[9]

Spellings

The following forenames are related to the English given name Roger:

People

Given name

Medieval period

See also All pages with titles beginning with Roger de, All pages with titles beginning with Roger of and All pages with titles beginning with Roger van for people with these names

Modern era

Surname

Fictional characters

Animal
  • Roger (kangaroo) - Australian kangaroo with an extraordinary buff physique, aka "Ripped Roger" (circa 2006 - 2018)

See also

Citations
  1. Jones (1986) p. 427.
  2. Hanks (2006); Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 233.
  3. Hanks (2006).
  4. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 233.
  5. Slang usage meaning penis from c. 1650 to c. 1870 - information from the Online Etymology Dictionary.
  6. Vulgar slang usage meaning to have sexual intercourse (mainly by men) - Oxford Dictionary
  7. wikt:roger
  8. Sherard, Robert (1897). The White Slaves of England.
  9. Thomas, Dylan. Walford Davies; Ralph Maud (eds.). Under Milk Wood (The Definitive ed.). Phoenix, an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group. p. 66. Last explanatory note referred to page 3, (p. 3), of the original text

References
  • Hanks, P, ed. (2006) [2003]. "Roger". Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195081374. Retrieved 10 June 2016 – via Oxford Reference.
  • Hanks, P; Hardcastle, K; Hodges, F (2006) [1990]. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  • Jones, D; Gimson, AC (1986) [1917]. Everyman's English Pronouncing Dictionary (14th ed.). J.M. Dent & Sons. OL 4296804M – via Open Library.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.