Etymologically
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shepherd

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈʃep.əd/, US /ˈʃep.ɚd/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English shephirde, inherited from Old English scēaphierde,[2][3][4][5][6] a compound of scēap (“sheep”) and hierde (“herdsman”), from heord (“herd”) (see sheep and herd).[2][3][5] Similar compounds are Middle Dutch schaphirde and German dialect Schafhirt.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A man who tends and guards sheep: before 1023.[7][2]

Semantic evolution

A spiritual guardian or pastor is from before 1300,[7][2] and God or Christ as shepherd from 1382 in the Bible.[7] Rulers are shepherds from 1577,[7] and the figures of pastoral poetry from 1591.[7] The verb, to tend sheep, is from 1790, and to watch over and guide from 1820, in Shelley.[2][3] Shepherds were customarily buried with a tuft of wool in hand, to prove their occupation on Doomsday and be excused for often missing church.[3] Shepherd's pie is recorded from 1849.[3] Shepherdess is from the 14th century.[4]

Timeline

  • before 1023 – a shepherd.[7]
  • before 1300 – a pastor.[7]
  • 1382 – God as shepherd.[7]
  • 1790 – to shepherd (verb).[2]
  • 1820 – to guide.[2]
  • 1849 – shepherd's pie.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who tends sheep.
  2. A person, such as a member of the clergy, who watches over and guides a group of people.

Verb

  1. To guide or watch over, as a shepherd does.
  2. (Australian rules football) To block opponents from tackling a teammate.

Word family

  • shepherdless
  • shepherdlike
  • shepherdess
  • undershepherd
  • unshepherded
  • Australian Shepherd
  • German shepherd
  • shepherd dog
  • cowherd
  • goatherd
  • gooseherd
  • herd
  • herder
  • herding dog
  • herd instinct
  • herdsman
  • neatherd
  • swanherd
  • swineherd
  • sheep
  • pastor

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press