douzeper

The story

1. Latin · derived frompār“equal; like”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*déḱm̥“ten”
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dwóh₁“two”
4. Latin · derived fromduodecim“twelve”
5. Old French · derived fromdouze pers
6. Middle French · derived fromdouse pers
7. Middle English · inherited fromdosse per
8. English todaydouzeper

From Middle English dosse per, dousse-per (“one of Charlemagne’s twelve peers or paladins; one of the twelve great peers of France at later times; a famous knight or noble”) [and other forms], treated as a singular form of dosse pers, dousse pers [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman, Middle French douse pers, douze pers [and other forms], and Old French douze pers, doze pers, duze pers (“Charlemagne’s twelve peers; twelve great peers of France at later times”) [and other forms] (also in the singular forms doze per, duze per, and in Anglo-Norman and Middle French written with a Roman numeral as XII pers), from doze, douze (“twelve”) (modern French douze) + pers (plural of per (“peer”); modern French pair). Doze is derived from Latin duodecim (“twelve”), from duo (“two”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”)) + decem (“ten”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ (“ten”)); per is derived from Latin pār (“equal; like”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 13th–17th c.; revived 19th c. One of the legendary “twelve peers” or renowned warriors of Charlemagne, the Emperor of the Romans from 800 to 814.
• 13th–17th c.; revived 19th c. One of the twelve nobles granted feudal territories or episcopal sees by the King of France in return for their fealty (namely the Archbishop-Duke of Rheims; the Bishop-Dukes of Laon and Langres; the Bishop-Counts of Beauvais, Chalons, and Noyon, the Dukes of Normandy, Burgundy, and Aquitaine; and the Counts of Toulouse, Flanders and Champagne).
• 14th–16th c.; revived 19th c. A person considered to be like or in the model of Charlemagne’s peers; someone considered a great hero or paladin.