fief
English
/fiːf/
noun
Definitions
- An estate held by a person on condition of providing military service to a superior.
- Something over which one has rights or exercises control.
- (metaphor) An area of dominion, especially in a corporate or governmental bureaucracy.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French fief derived from Old French fief derived from Latin fevum derived from Frankish *fehu (cattle, livestock, owndom, fee, property) derived from Proto-Germanic *fehu (livestock, cattle, sheep, wealth, owndom) derived from Proto-Indo-European *peku-.
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*peku-
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- fiefdom English
- fiefhold English
- fiefholder English
- fiefholding English
- hold English
- holder English
- holding English
- feodalis Latin
- feudum Latin
- fevum Latin
- fio Italian
- fief French
- *peku- Proto-Indo-European
- *peḱu- Proto-Indo-European
- *péḱu Proto-Indo-European
- *fehu Proto-Germanic
- feoh Old English
- fé Old Norse
- enfeffer Old French
- fief Old French
- fieu Old French
- fihu Old High German
- fief Middle French
- 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 Gothic
- *fehu gmw-pro
- fehu Old Saxon
- feu Old Saxon
- *fehu Frankish
- feu Old Occitan
- fia Old Frisian