Farmer
/ˈfɑːr.mər/noun
A person who cultivates land or raises animals for food or other products.
Did you know?The word *farmer* comes from *farm*, which originally meant a fixed payment or tax, so its history is less about dirt and more about economics, obligation, and control.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to traffic, sell, or provide”
Latin
Latin
firma
“a fixed payment, rent, or tax”
Old French
Old French
ferme
“a fixed payment, lease, or rent”
Middle English
English
ferme
“a fixed sum paid for land or revenues; a lease”
14th–15th Century
English
farmer
“a person who leased the collection of revenues or managed a farmed estate”
Modern English
English
farmer
“a person who cultivates land or raises livestock”