bardolph
|bar-dolph|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑrdəlf/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɑːdəlf/
Falstaff's comic companion
Etymology
'Bardolph' originates from Old Norse, specifically the word 'Barðulfr', where 'barð' meant 'beard' and 'ulfr' meant 'wolf'.
'Bardolph' changed from the Old Norse personal name 'Barðulfr' into an Anglo-Norman/Old French form 'Bardolf' (or 'Bardolfe') and then into Middle English as 'Bardolf'/'Bardolph', eventually becoming the modern English proper name 'Bardolph'.
Initially, it meant the compound personal-name sense 'beard-wolf' as a Germanic name element, but over time it evolved into a hereditary surname and is now chiefly recognized as a literary character's name.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a proper name: a character in several Shakespeare plays (notably Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2) — one of Falstaff's companions, often depicted as a comical thief with a red face and nose.
In Henry IV, bardolph's red nose and comic behavior mark him as one of Falstaff's lowly companions.
Noun 2
a hereditary surname derived from the medieval personal name; used as a family name in historical records.
The chronicles record a family called bardolph among the Norman nobility.
Last updated: 2026/01/15 11:34