Where does “feu” come from?
feu (Old Catalan) comes from Vulgar Latin *feus, from Frankish fehu, from Proto-Germanic fehu, from Proto-Indo-European péḱu, from Proto-Indo-European peḱ- — to pluck; livestock; wealth.
Ancestry of “feu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vulgar Latin | *feus | — |
| 2 | Frankish | fehu | livestock, cattle; cattle, owndom, property, fee;... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fehu | livestock, cattle; property; name of the F-rune |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | péḱu | livestock |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peḱ- | to pluck; livestock; wealth |