Where does “fief” come from?
fief (Middle French) comes from Old French fief, from Latin fevum, from Latin feudum, from Frankish fehu, from Proto-Germanic fehu, from Proto-Indo-European péḱu, from Proto-Indo-European peḱ- — to pluck; livestock; wealth.
Ancestry of “fief”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | fief | estate held by a person on condition of providing... |
| 2 | Latin | fevum | fief, fee |
| 3 | Latin | feudum | A fief, fee |
| 4 | Frankish | fehu | livestock, cattle; cattle, owndom, property, fee;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fehu | livestock, cattle; property; name of the F-rune |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | péḱu | livestock |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peḱ- | to pluck; livestock; wealth |