Schepherde

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A herder who looks after flocks of sheep ; to lead, guide or keep watch over people or things in the manner of a sheep tender
2. One who tends and protects a flock of sheep in the field ; to direct or steer a group carefully along a path
3. A keeper of sheep who grazes and guards them ; to gather, lead or protect others by watching over them closely

Etymology: "Shepherd" is a compound of two Old English words: "scēap," meaning sheep, and "hierde," meaning keeper or guardian. The second element is also the root of "herd," but in its oldest sense a herd was the person who looked after animals, not the group itself. A shepherd was literally a sheep-keeper, and the sense of "herd" as a flock of animals developed later. "Schepherde" is a Middle English spelling of the same word, with the "sch" and final "e" showing how it was written before the modern form became standard.