English
feudatory
Feudatory comes from Latin feudātōrius ‘feudatory, feudal’, from feudō ‘to enfeoff’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘livestock’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-1‘livestock’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péḱu2‘livestock’reconstructed*u-stem of *peḱ-
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fehu3‘livestock, cattle’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*fehu3‘livestock, cattle’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfeudum4‘fief’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfeudō5as feudāre‘to enfeoff’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfeudātōrius5‘feudatory, feudal’
- Englishearliest quotation 2016feudatory5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *péḱu
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *fehu
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin feudum
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin feudo
- 5 Wiktionary, English feudatory
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2016, Peter H. Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire: “Henry VII granted a privilege in 1309 endorsing the…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *péḱu‘livestock’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péḱuWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *fehu‘livestock’reconstructed*u-stem of *peḱ-
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fehuWiktionary, Latin feudum‘livestock, cattle’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*fehuWiktionary, Latin feudum‘livestock, cattle’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfeudumWiktionary, Latin feudo‘fief’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfeudōWiktionary, English feudatoryas feudāre‘to enfeoff’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfeudātōriusWiktionary, English feudatory‘feudatory, feudal’
- Englishearliest quotation 2016feudatoryWiktionary, English feudatory. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2016, Peter H. Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire: “Henry VII granted a privilege in 1309 endorsing the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘livestock’
fight, fellow, peculiar, fax, fawn, fain, 26 more
through Proto-Indo-European *péḱu ‘livestock’
cynical, hound, poodle, cynic, pec, pecuniary, chenille, 13 more
through Proto-Germanic *fehu ‘livestock, cattle’
through Frankish *fehu ‘livestock, cattle’
through Latin feudum ‘fief’
Today it means
adj Relating to feudalism, feudal.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “feudatory”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *péḱu, Proto-Germanic *fehu, Latin feudum, Latin feudo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- / feudatory