Where does “goatherd” come from?
Goatherd comes from Middle English goteherd, from Old English gāthyrde, a compound of gāt (goat) and hyrde (herder), literally meaning one who tends goats.
goatherd (English): A person who herds, tends goats
Definitions
- A person who herds, tends goats
Ancestry of “goatherd”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | goteherd | — |
| 2 | Old English | gathierde | — |
| 3 | Old English | hierde | herdsman; guardian, keeper, protector |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hirdī | herdsman, herder |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hirdijaz | herder, herdsman |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | herdō | herd |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱerdʰ- | herd, row; file, row, herd |
Words derived from “goatherd”