Where does “serfdom” come from?
Serfdom comes from Middle English -dom and Old English -dōm, combined with Latin servus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰóh₁mos and the root dʰeh₁-.
serfdom (English): The state of being a serf; The feudal system that...
Definitions
- The state of being a serf; The feudal system that...
Ancestry of “serfdom”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | serf | a partially free peasant of a low hereditary... |
| 2 | Middle English | serf | — |
| 3 | Old French | serf | serf; first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 4 | Latin | servus | a servant; a serf; a slave |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | serwos | guardian |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ser-wo-s | guardian |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |