Where does “sheriff” come from?
Sheriff derives from Old English scīrġerēfa, a compound of scīr (shire) and gerēfa (reeve or official).
sheriff (English): An official of a shire or county office,...
Definitions
- An official of a shire or county office,...
Ancestry of “sheriff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | shirreve | A sheriff; an individual responsible for a number... |
| 2 | Old English | scīrġerēfa | shire-reeve; sheriff |
| 3 | Old English | sċīr | bright; shire; county |
| 4 | Old English | burna | stream |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brunnō | well, spring |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brunnô | source; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₁wr̥ | well, spring, source |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |