Where does “goatherdess” come from?
goatherdess (English) comes from English goatherd, from Middle English goteherd, from Old English gathierde, from Old English hierde, from Proto-West Germanic hirdī, from Proto-Germanic hirdijaz, from Proto-Germanic herdō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱerdʰ- — herd, row; file, row, herd.
goatherdess (English): A female goatherd
Ancestry of “goatherdess”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | goatherd | A person who herds, tends goats |
| 2 | Middle English | goteherd | — |
| 3 | Old English | gathierde | — |
| 4 | Old English | hierde | herdsman; guardian, keeper, protector |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hirdī | herdsman, herder |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hirdijaz | herder, herdsman |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | herdō | herd |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱerdʰ- | herd, row; file, row, herd |