Where does “serf” come from?

serf (French) comes from Middle French serf, from Old French serf, from Latin servus, from Proto-Italic serwos, from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-s, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

serf (French): a serf; being or like a serf, semifree

Definitions

  1. a serf; being or like a serf, semifree

Ancestry of “serf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchserfserf semifree peasant
2Old Frenchserfserf; first-person singular present indicative of...
3Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
4Proto-Italicserwosguardian
5Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
6Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “serf”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-s →Every word from Proto-Italic serwos →