Shepherd
/ˈʃɛpərd/
noun
Origin
Old English
scēap + hierde — sheep + guardian/keeper
Overview
Meaning Now
- A person whose occupation is to herd, tend, and guard sheep.
- A person who protects, guides, or watches over a group of people.
Literal older meaning
sheep-herder
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → Modern English
Earliest form
scēaphirde
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The term reflects the agrarian importance of sheep farming in medieval Britain. The shift from 'scēaphirde' to 'shepherd' involved the phonological reduction of the final syllable of the agent noun suffix.
Evolution
- Old English
scēaphirde
“guardian of sheep”
- Middle English
schepherde
“sheep keeper”
- Modern English
shepherd
“one who tends sheep”
Connections
Word parts
shep
root
sheep
herd
root
keeper/guardian
Related across languages
German
Schäfer
shepherd
Dutch
schaapherder
shepherd
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Related to Shepherd
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.