Where does “Bergen op Zoom” come from?
Bergen op Zoom (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch bergen op den soom, from Dutch zoom, from Middle Dutch sôom, from Old Dutch sōm, from Proto-West Germanic saum, from Late Latin sauma, from Latin sagma, from Ancient Greek σάγμα — to press, squeeze; to squeeze, press, pressure.
Ancestry of “Bergen op Zoom”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | bergen op den soom | Bergen op Zoom |
| 2 | Dutch | zoom | edge, border; hem; zoom |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | sôom | seam of fabric |
| 4 | Old Dutch | sōm | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | saum | stitch, seam, hem, edge; a load, burden;... |
| 6 | Late Latin | sauma | packsaddle; burden saddle, burden |
| 7 | Latin | sagma | saddle |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σάγμα | A covering, a clothing; the covering of a shield;... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | σάττω | to stuff quite full, cram, pack; to press close,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | twenk- | to press, squeeze; to squeeze, press, pressure |