Etymograph

English

fief

Fief comes from Old French fief, from Frankish *fehu ‘cattle, livestock’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peku-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peku-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fehu1‘cattle, sheep’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*fehu1‘cattle, livestock’reconstructed
  4. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fevum1
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fief1
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600fief1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1673fief1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fief
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1673, Randle Cotgrave, Fief: “Fief: m[asculine] A Fief. A (Knights) fee, a Mannor,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peku-Wiktionary, English fiefreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fehuWiktionary, English fief‘cattle, sheep’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*fehuWiktionary, English fief‘cattle, livestock’reconstructed
  4. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fevumWiktionary, English fief
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fiefWiktionary, English fief
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600fiefWiktionary, English fief
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1673fiefWiktionary, English fief. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1673, Randle Cotgrave, Fief: “Fief: m[asculine] A Fief. A (Knights) fee, a Mannor,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *fehu ‘cattle, sheep’

fee, feudal, 3 more

through Frankish *fehu ‘cattle, livestock’

feud, feu, 4 more

Today it means

noun Land held of a superior, particularly on condition of homage, fealty, and personal service, especially military service.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fief”. 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 *peku- / fief

Shirt and support for this word