Where does “cowstealer” come from?

cowstealer (English) comes from English cow, from Middle English cow, from Old English cū, from Proto-West Germanic *kō, from Proto-Germanic *kōz — cow.

cowstealer (English): One who steals cattle

Definitions

  1. One who steals cattle

Ancestry of “cowstealer”, step by step

cowstealer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English cow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcowAn adult female of the species "Bos taurus",...
2Middle EnglishcowAlternative form of cou
3Old Englishcūcow
4Proto-West Germanic*kōcow
5Proto-Germanic*kōzcow

via English stealer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstealerOne who steals; a thief; The endmost plank of a...
2Middle Englishstelere—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *kōz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *kō →Every word from Old English cū →
cowstealer — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer