Cob
late Middle English (denoting a strong man or leader): of unknown origin. The underlying general sense appears to be ‘rounded, sturdy’.
wiktionary
Of uncertain origin. The word has many disparate senses, which are likely of diverse origin. [1] [2] The specifics of these origins have long been debated, as has the question of which senses arise from which origins. At least the swan sense originated in Middle English cobbe(“male swan; gang leader; bully”). Some other senses likely originated as a variant of cop(“head, top, peak, summit”). [1] [2] In other senses, the word may be related to cub, itself of obscure origin but possibly from Old Norse kobbi(“seal”). [1] [3] However, many alternative etymologies have been proposed to account for some or all senses of cob; various sources have related it, for example, to English cot(“cottage”), Welsh cob(“top, tuft”), or German Kübel(“large container”). [1] All these etymologies are disputed, and the exact origins of cob cannot be known with any certainty.
Uncertain. Possibly onomatopoeic [2], but it has also been suggested that the word could be a continuation of Middle English cobbe(“fight”), a borrowing of Welsh cob(“blow”), or a cognate of Icelandic kubba(“chop”). [1]
cob
etymonline
cob (n.)
a word or set of identical words with a wide range of meanings, many seeming to derive from notions of "heap, lump, rounded object," also "head," and metaphoric extensions of both. With its cognates in other Germanic languages, of uncertain origin and development.
"The N.E.D. recognizes eight nouns cob, with numerous sub-groups. Like other monosyllables common in the dial[ect] its hist[ory] is inextricable" [Weekley]. In the 2nd print edition, the number stands at 11. Some senses are probably from Old English copp "top, head," others probably from Old Norse kubbi or Low German, all the words perhaps trace to a Proto-Germanic base *kubb- "something rounded."
Among the earliest attested English senses are "headman, chief," and "male swan," both early 15c., but the surname Cobb (1066) suggests Old English used a form of the word as a nickname for "big, leading man." The "corn shoot" sense is attested by 1680s.
