Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “enfeoffment” come from?

enfeoffment (English) comes from English enfeoff, from Middle English enfeffen, from Old French enfeffer, from Old French fief, from Latin fevum, from Latin feudum, from Frankish fehu, from Proto-Germanic fehu — to pluck; livestock; wealth.

enfeoffment (English): The act or process of transferring possession and...

Definitions

  1. The act or process of transferring possession and...

Ancestry of “enfeoffment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishenfeoffTo transfer a fief to, to endow with a fief; to...
2Middle Englishenfeffento grant under the feudal system
3Old Frenchenfeffer—
4Old Frenchfiefestate held by a person on condition of providing...
5Latinfevumfief, fee
6LatinfeudumA fief, fee
7Frankishfehulivestock, cattle; cattle, owndom, property, fee;...
8Proto-Germanicfehulivestock, cattle; property; name of the F-rune
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpéḱulivestock
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpeḱ-to pluck; livestock; wealth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peḱ- →