Brewer's: Raboin

or Rabuino (French). The devil; so called from the Spanish rubo (a tail). In the mediaeval ages it was vulgarly asserted that the Jews were born with tails; this arose from a confusion of the word rabbi or rabbins with raboin or rabuino.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language