etimology of Peasant, from OED

etimology of Peasant, from OED
[a. AF. paisant, in OF. païsent, païsant, paysant (12th c. in Godef.), mod.F. paysan (13th c. in Littré), f. païs, pays country:―L. pāgensis, sc. ager, the territory of a pāgus or canton, the country. Cf. It. paesano, Sp. païsano. The β forms here are conformed (more or less) to later Fr.
   The OF. ending, -ant, -ent, is difficult. It cannot represent L. -ānus; French etymologists incline to refer païsent to an earlier païsenc, formed with the German suffix -inc, -ing.]