Where does “serf” come from?
Serf comes from Middle English serf, from Old French serf, from Latin servus, from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ser- meaning to serve or protect.
serf (English): a partially free peasant of a low hereditary...
Definitions
- a partially free peasant of a low hereditary...
Ancestry of “serf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | serf | — |
| 2 | Old French | serf | serf; first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 3 | Latin | servus | a servant; a serf; a slave |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | serwos | guardian |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ser-wo-s | guardian |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |
Words derived from “serf”