badger
BAJ-er · noun
Origin
From Middle English bageard, "marked by a badge," built from bage ("badge") plus the suffix -ard. The name points to the white blaze on the animal's face, like a badge pinned to its head. It replaced an older English word, brock, from Old English brocc.
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Journey
The word simply moved in to replace brock, the older Old English name for the animal, once the badge-based nickname caught on in Middle English.
Related words
Its root badge ties it directly to the everyday word for an identifying emblem or pin — the animal was, in effect, nicknamed for its markings.