Where does “shepherd” come from?
Shepherd comes from Middle English shepherde, from Old English scēphyrde, a compound of Old English sċēap (sheep) and Proto-Germanic hirdijaz (herder), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kerdʰ- (to care for or tend).
shepherd (English): A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing...
Definitions
- A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing...
Ancestry of “shepherd”, step by step
shepherd traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English schepherde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | schepherde | shepherd |
| 2 | Old English | sċēaphierde | shepherd |
| 3 | Old English | sċēap | sheep |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skāp | sheep |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skapą | shape |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |