Where does “farmer” come from?
Farmer comes from Middle English fermer, from Old French fermier, from Medieval Latin firmarius, from Latin firma meaning "contract" or "fixed agreement," from Old English feorm, from Proto-Germanic fermō, from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning "to grant" or "to bargain."
farmer (English): A person who works the land and/or who keeps...
Definitions
- A person who works the land and/or who keeps...
Ancestry of “farmer”, step by step
farmer traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English fermor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fermor | — |
| 2 | Old English | feormere | one who supplies with food, purveyor, grocer,... |
| 3 | Old English | feormian | to cleanse, scour, furbish; to entertain,... |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Middle English fermer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fermer | — |
| 2 | Old French | fermier | a farmer, a lessee, husbandman, bailliff |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | firmarius | one to whom land is rented, a collector of taxes,... |
| 4 | Latin | Firma | tax, tribute |
| 5 | Latin | Firmus | strong, powerful |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via Middle English fermour
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fermour | a steward, bailliff, collector of taxes |