Where does “peon” come from?
peon (Old French) comes from Latin pedō, from Latin pēs, from Ancient Greek μέτρον, from Ancient Greek -τρον, from Proto-Hellenic -tron, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
peon (Old French): pawn; footman; a foot soldier
Definitions
- pawn; footman; a foot soldier
Ancestry of “peon”, step by step
peon traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin pedō
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pedō | — |
| 2 | Latin | pēs | a foot, in its senses as |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
via Late Latin pedo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | pedo | footsoldier; footman; I furnish with feet, foot;... |