Where does “Shepherd” come from?
Shepherd (English) comes from Middle English schepherde, from Old English sċēaphierde, from Old English sċēap, from Proto-West Germanic skāp, from Proto-Germanic skapą, from Proto-Germanic skapjaną, from Proto-Indo-European skab- — to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...
Ancestry of “Shepherd”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | schepherde | shepherd |
| 2 | Old English | sċēaphierde | — |
| 3 | Old English | sċēap | sheep |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skāp | sheep |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skapą | shape |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |