Etymograph

English

serf

Serf comes from Old French serf, from Latin servus ‘slave, serf, servant’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s ‘guardian’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ser-wo-s1‘guardian’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*serwos1‘guardian’reconstructed
  3. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEservos1
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEservus2‘slave, serf, servant’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400serf2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500serf2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2012serf2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin servus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English serf
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, ミラクルミュージカル, The Mind Electric: “See how the serfs work the ground / And…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ser-wo-sWiktionary, Latin servus‘guardian’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*serwosWiktionary, Latin servus‘guardian’reconstructed
  3. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEservosWiktionary, Latin servus
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEservusWiktionary, English serf‘slave, serf, servant’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400serfWiktionary, English serf
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500serfWiktionary, English serf
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2012serfWiktionary, English serf. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, ミラクルミュージカル, The Mind Electric: “See how the serfs work the ground / And…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘watch over, protect’

sort, series, stream, hero, desert, insert, assertion, heresy, exert, sermon, concierge, sorcery, sorcerer, assertive, heretic, sark, strudel, sere, 30 more

through Proto-Italic *serwos ‘guardian’

observe, 5 more

through Old Latin servos

reserve, conserve, serviceable, 5 more

through Latin servus ‘slave, serf, servant’

service, conservative, serve, reservoir, conservatism, observant, servitude, conservator, servile, 9 more

Today it means

noun A partially free peasant of a low hereditary class, attached like a slave to the land owned by a feudal lord and required to perform labour, enjoying minimal legal or customary rights.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s / serf

Shirt and support for this word