English
herdboy
From herd + boy.
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- ‘file, row, herd’
Proto-Germanic *herdō
Proto-West Germanic *herdu
Old English hierd ‘herd, flock’
Middle English herde
English herd
Proto-Indo-European *bʰā-
…
Proto-Germanic *bōjô ‘younger brother’
Proto-West Germanic *bōjō
Old English *bōia ‘boy’
Middle English boye ‘servant, commoner, knave, boy’
English boy
Today it means
noun A boy who herds animals.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / herdboy