Where does “dukedom” come from?

Dukedom derives from Middle English -dom, a suffix denoting domain or rank, combined with Middle English duce from Old English duce, itself from Latin dux meaning leader, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root dʰeh₁- meaning to lead.

dukedom (English): A region ruled by a duke or duchess; a duchy; The...

Definitions

  1. A region ruled by a duke or duchess; a duchy; The...

Ancestry of “dukedom”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdukdomdukedom, duchy
2Middle Englishdukduke
3Old Frenchducduke
4Latinduxleader, head; commander, general, captain;...
5Latindūcōto lead, guide, conduct, lead away
6Proto-Italicdoukōlead
7Proto-Indo-Europeandéwketi—
8Proto-Indo-Europeandewk-to pull, to draw; to lead
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dewk- →