I would like to know if "hob" can be considered as a prefix, and if yes, does it have some meaning, at least vague? I am thinking in particular about words hobgoblin, hobnail, hobnob...
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2It's General Reference (if you check an etymological dictionary) that all three examples here have different origins for the hob component. In hobgoblin it's a diminutive of Robin [Goodfellow]. In hobnail, it's obscure, but probably related to hub [part of a fireplace/stove]. And hobnob is a weird reduplication apparently based on (or at least, meaning something like) have/not have, give and take.– FumbleFingersCommented Oct 27, 2014 at 14:45
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@FumbleFingers It’s certainly not General Reference for an English language learner to go researching and comparing etymologies, but I’ll join you in your close-vote since etymology is itself generally off-topic here.– Tyler James YoungCommented Oct 27, 2014 at 19:57
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This question appears to be off-topic because it is about etymology and would perhaps be better suited for ELU.– Tyler James YoungCommented Oct 27, 2014 at 20:01
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5I don't see that this is off-topic; the poster noticed a possible prefix and couldn't figure out whether it was a real, productive prefix or not. Seems like a good question to me.– HellionCommented Oct 27, 2014 at 20:23
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1 Answer
Fun question!
In general, "hob" shouldn't be considered one prefix. In the first two cases you list, "hob" is actually two different prefixes. The "hob" in "hobgoblin" is a colloquial synonym for "Robert". The "hob" in "hobnail" comes from the term for a blunt projection of some sort
In the third case, I don't believe "hob" is a prefix at all, since "hobnob" is a combination of two verbs. Here, "hob" comes from the verb "to have."
Source: comparison of etymological dictionary entries for each word (in particular etymonline.com)
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Where did you come up with this? Completely incorrect. A hob is part of a stove and leads to all three terms. Hobgoblins were house spirits (Bob is short for Robert, not hob). The term then meant rustic which lead to the boots and the biscuit. Commented Oct 28, 2014 at 0:26
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1@JamesRyan Here are some sources: etymonline.com/index.php?term=hobgoblin dictionary.reference.com/browse/hobgoblin oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/hob#hob-2– ThomasWCommented Oct 28, 2014 at 1:54