Where does “asem” come from?
asem (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch asem, from Middle Dutch âsem, from Old Dutch *āththem, from Proto-West Germanic āþm, from Proto-Germanic ēþmaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eh₁tmén-.
asem (Afrikaans): breath; to breathe
Ancestry of “asem”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | asem | Alternative form of adem; breath |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | âsem | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | *āththem | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | āþm | breath, breathing |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ēþmaz | breath, breathing; spirit; breeze |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁eh₁tmén- | — |