Middle English Alternative forms erde man, heerdeman, heerd mann, herde-man, herde man, herde-mon, herdman, hirdeman, hirde-man, hirdemann, hirdman, hird-man, hurd-man Etymology 1 From Old English hyrdemann; equivalent to herde (“herder”) + man (“man”). Pronunciation IPA(key): /ˈheːrd(ə)ˌman/, /ˈhiːrd(ə)ˌman/ Noun herdeman (plural herdemen) herder, herdsman Descendants English: herdman (obsolete) References “hẹ̄rde-man, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. Etymology 2 Noun herdeman Alternative form of hirdman Wikiwand - on Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.