Where does “chiefry” come from?

chiefry (English) comes from English chief, from Middle English chef, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capum, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

chiefry (English): A rent paid to a chief or supreme lord

Definitions

  1. A rent paid to a chief or supreme lord

Ancestry of “chiefry”, step by step

chiefry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English chief

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchiefA leader or head of a group of people,...
2Middle EnglishchefA leader, boss, or director; a chief official;...
3Old Frenchchiefhead; leader, chief; front
4Vulgar Latincapumhead, chief; head
5Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
6Proto-Italickaputhead
7Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
8Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

via English ry

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishryA test pattern consisting of a repeating character string alternating letters R and Y, used to test five-level teleprinter and radioteletype (RTTY) systems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap-Every word from Proto-Indo-European káputEvery word from Proto-Italic kaput