Where does “serf” come from?
serf (Middle French) comes 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 (Middle French): serf
Ancestry of “serf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | serf | serf; first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 2 | Latin | servus | a servant; a serf; a slave |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | serwos | guardian |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ser-wo-s | guardian |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |
Words derived from “serf”