fief

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*peku-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*fehu“cattle, sheep”
3. Frankish · derived from*fehu“cattle, livestock”
4. Medieval Latin · derived fromfevum
5. Old French · derived fromfief
6. Middle French · borrowed fromfief
7. English todayfief

From Middle French fief, from Old French fief, from Medieval Latin fevum, a variant of feudum (whence also Old French fieu, fied), from Old Frankish *fehu (“cattle, livestock”), from Proto-Germanic *fehu (“cattle, sheep”), from Proto-Indo-European *peku-, *peḱu- (“sheep”). Doublet of fee, feud, and feoff.

Words from the same roots