Etymograph

English

herder

Herder comes from Middle English herde ‘herder, herdsman’, from Proto-Germanic *herdō ‘herd’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerdʰ-‘file, row, herd’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*herdō‘herd’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hirdijaz‘herder, herdsman’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hirdī‘herdsman, herder’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hyrde
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500herde‘herder, herdsman’
  7. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500herder
  8. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerdʰ-‘file, row, herd’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*herdō‘herd’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hirdijaz‘herder, herdsman’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hirdī‘herdsman, herder’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hyrde
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500herde‘herder, herdsman’
  7. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500herder
  8. Englishtodaysame form

Formed from herd + -er

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

The story

From Middle English herder, herdere, hurder (attested as a surname), an alteration of Middle English herde (‘herder, herdsman’), from Old English hyrde, hierde (‘herder’), from Proto-West Germanic *hirdī, from Proto-Germanic *hirdijaz, equivalent to herd + -er.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- ‘file, row, herd’

shirt, shortly, shortness, 1 more

through Middle English herde ‘herder, herdsman’

hards, 1 more

Today it means

noun One who herds.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- / herder

Shirt and support for this word