Etymo

sergeant

A military or police rank.

Played on · Day 66 · word 5 of 5

The rank shares a root with servant

How sergeant reached English

oldest first
  1. Latin

    servīre

    ‘to serve’

  2. Early Medieval Latin

    serviens

    ‘servant’

  3. Old French

    sergent

    ‘(domestic) servant, valet; court official; soldier’

  4. Middle English

    sergeaunt

    ‘a servant, servingman’

  5. English

    sergeant

The story of sergeant

Early Medieval Latin serviens came from the participle of Latin servīre. Anglo-French carried the word into Middle English, where sergeaunt was one spelling.

The Latin participle and the Anglo-French borrowing stage are compressed. Related French forms are not treated as two consecutive donors.

Source

Merriam-Webster: sergeant

The participial origin, French mediation, English forms and servant doublet are explicit.

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