Herdsman
/ˈhɜːrdz.mən/noun
A person who tends and guards a herd of animals.
Did you know?The word is a transparent Old English compound, and its root is the same one behind modern words like herd and herding—language preserving the ancient human obsession with controlling living crowds.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱer-
“To watch over, protect, or guard”
Old English
OE
hierde
“A keeper, guardian, or shepherd”
Old English
OE
heord
“A herd or flock of animals”
Middle English
ME
herdesman
“A man who tends a herd”
Modern English
EN
herdsman
“A person who tends and guards a herd of animals”