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

  1. A person who herds, tends goats

Ancestry of “goatherd”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgoteherd
2Old Englishgathierdegoatherd
3Old Englishhierdeherdsman; guardian, keeper, protector
4Proto-West Germanichirdīherdsman, herder
5Proto-Germanichirdijazherder, herdsman
6Proto-Germanicherdōherd
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱerdʰ-herd, row; file, row, herd

Words derived from “goatherd

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱerdʰ-
goatherd — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer