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