Where does “peon” come from?
peon (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Ancient Greek παιωνία, from Ancient Greek παιών, from Ancient Greek παιάν, from Ancient Greek Παιάν, from Ancient Greek παίω, from Proto-Indo-European *p(y)eh₂w-.
peon (Norwegian Nynorsk): a peony
Ancestry of “peon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | παιωνία | peony |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | παιών | a physician |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | παιάν | hymn to Apollo |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Παιάν | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παίω | I strike, hit; I strike against or upon; I devour |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *p(y)eh₂w- | — |