Where does “serf” come from?

serf (Old French) comes 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 (Old French): serf; first-person singular present indicative of...

Definitions

  1. serf; first-person singular present indicative of...

Ancestry of “serf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
2Proto-Italicserwosguardian
3Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
4Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “serf”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-s →Every word from Proto-Italic serwos →