• TheTechnician27@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    This is largely true. English takes ‘-ard’ from Old French. MW defines it as:

    one that is characterized by performing some action, possessing some quality, or being associated with some thing especially conspicuously or excessively

    The main point is that it’s generally just a pejorative suffix.

    Citing the Trésor de la langue française informatisé, however, Wiktionary puts forward a surprisingly cogent counterargument and alternative etymology to the “packsaddle” one for “bastard”.