arrière-bann.

Etymology: < Middle French arriere-ban, French arrière-ban body of vassals summoned for military service by order of the king (late 12th cent. in Old French as arriereban , arierban ), order containing such a summons (14th cent.), folk-etymological alteration (after arriere backward, behind: see note) of Old French herban (1101; also araban , arban , etc.) < an unattested Frankish compound reflected in Old Frisian herabon , Old Dutch herban (Middle Dutch heerban , Dutch (now hist.) heerban ), Old High German heriban (Middle High German herban , German (now hist.) Heerbann ) < the Germanic base of here n.¹ + the Germanic base of ban n.¹ Compare earlier rereband n.The first element of the Old French compound was associated from an early date with arriere (adverb) ‘backward, behind’ (see arrear adv.), (noun) ‘hind part, back’ (see arrear n.). This association was later rationalized further, as reflected e.g. by Cotgrave (1611), who defined the term as the summons of a group of subvassals or arriere-vassals (see arrière vassal n.) for military service, as distinct from the summons of a group of immediate vassals of the king. In French, this association and reinterpretation gave rise to the collocation ban et arrière-ban (from at least the first half of the 16th cent.). With the Old French compound and its unattested Frankish etymon, compare post-classical Latin haribannum , heribannum , herebannum , also aribannum , eribannum fine for neglect of duty in the host, tax paid instead of duty in the host (frequently from 7th cent.), tax paid instead of duty in kind (9th cent.), power to exact labour service (10th cent.), labour service, tax paid instead of labour service (12th cent.). With the forms of the first element of the word compare arrear n., arrear adv. The α. and β. forms reflect folk-etymological alteration after band n.³ and van n.², respectively.