Where does “Sheriff” come from?
Sheriff (German) comes from English Sheriff, from Middle English shirreve, from Old English scīrġerēfa, from Old English sċīr, from Old English burna, from Proto-West Germanic brunnō, from Proto-Germanic brunnô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₁wr̥ — to bear, carry.
Sheriff (German): sheriff
Ancestry of “Sheriff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Sheriff | — |
| 2 | Middle English | shirreve | A sheriff; an individual responsible for a number... |
| 3 | Old English | scīrġerēfa | shire-reeve; sheriff |
| 4 | Old English | sċīr | bright; shire; county |
| 5 | Old English | burna | stream |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | brunnō | well, spring |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | brunnô | source; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₁wr̥ | well, spring, source |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |