Bugbear
Creature from myth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Etymology
Its name is derived from the Middle English word "bugge" (a frightening thing), or perhaps the Old Welsh word bwg (evil spirit or goblin),[2] or Old Scots bogill (goblin), and cognates most probably English "bogeyman" and "bugaboo".
In medieval England, the bugbear was depicted as a creepy bear that lurked in the woods to scare children. It was described in this manner in The Buggbears,[2] an adaptation, with additions, from Antonio Francesco Grazzini’s La Spiritata (‘The Possessed [Woman]’, 1561).[3]
In a modern context, the term bugbear may also mean pet peeve.[4]
