Where does “arms” come from?
arms (Afrikaans) comes from Afrikaans arm, from Dutch arm, from Middle Dutch arm, from Old Dutch arm, from Proto-West Germanic arm, from Proto-Germanic armaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ermos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
arms (Afrikaans): plural of arm
Ancestry of “arms”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | arm | arm |
| 2 | Dutch | arm | arm; branch; poor |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | arm | arm; poor, having few possessions; unfortunate,... |
| 4 | Old Dutch | arm | arm; poor |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |