Lit. 'a boy'. While usually meaning a boy, puer was also used to refer to a *vassal. This use is found in the *Bayeux Tapestry, when the text refers to the bishop of Bayeux's followers. The word is also found in the Lincolnshire placename Ashby Puerorum = Ashby of the boys, so named for its being a *prebend for the support of Lincoln Cathedral's choir boys.
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.