Where does “heahfæder” come from?

heahfæder (Old English) comes from Old English fæder, from Proto-West Germanic fader, from Proto-Germanic fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.

heahfæder (Old English): a patriarch

Definitions

  1. a patriarch

Ancestry of “heahfæder”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfæderfather
2Proto-West Germanicfaderfather
3Proto-Germanicfadērfather
4Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr →Every word from Proto-Germanic fadēr →