Meaning

noun a clergyman who watches over a group of people

noun a herder of sheep (on an open range); someone who keeps the sheep together in a flock

verb watch over like a shepherd, as a teacher of her pupils

originFrom Middle English schepherde, from Old English sċēaphierde, a compound of sċēap (“sheep”) and hierde (“herdsman”), equivalent to modern sheep + herd (“herder”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0