Why is a female dog called a bitch and how did it start?
Question #112402. Asked by viola1.
serpa
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serpa 17 year member
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The term "bitch" comes from the 1150 word bicche, which was developed from the Old English word bicce. It also may have been derived from the Old Icelandic work bikkja for "female dog." The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term meaning "female dog" to around 1000 A.D.