paltockn.

Etymology: Origin uncertain and disputed. Compare Middle French paltoke (1370; also palletocq (1455), paletoc (16th cent.), Middle French, French paletot , †palletot (see paletot n.), †palletoc (1496)); the Middle French word may show a borrowing from Middle English (if so, probably in the context of the Hundred Years War), but the converse could also be true. Compare also Anglo-Norman paltok (1371–5), post-classical Latin paltokkus (c1362 in a British source), which perhaps lend some support to the supposition that the word originated in Britain. If a Middle English origin is presumed, perhaps compare pall n.¹ and -ock suffix, although this would leave the -t- unexplained (association with pallet n.¹ seems unlikely as an explanation).Compare ( < Middle French) Breton paltok , Spanish †paletoque (1499), paletó , Catalan paletoc , palitroc , and also Middle Dutch paltoc , (with folk-etymological alteration after roc : see rochet n.¹) paltroc , (with folk-etymological alteration also after palts : see palsgrave n.) paltsroc. It is uncertain whether the following shows an earlier use as surname, and if so which language it should be taken as reflecting:1327 in F. J. Eld Lay Subsidy Roll, Worcester (1895) 25 Agatha Pattoke.