Where does “freemen” come from?

Freemen derives from English free and man, with man tracing through Middle English mon and man to Proto-Germanic mann-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European prēy- and ḱóm.

freemen (English): plural of freeman

Definitions

  1. plural of freeman

Ancestry of “freemen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfreemanA free person, "particularly"
2Old Englishfreomannfreeman someone not enslaved
3Old Englishfrēofree, joyful
4Proto-Germanic*frī—
5Proto-Germanicfrijazfree
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please
Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European priHós →Every word from Proto-Germanic frijaz →