Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Dim” come from?

Dim (English) comes from Middle English dim, from Old English dim, from Old English dimm, from Proto-Germanic dimmaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰem- — to whisk, smoke, blow; dust, haze, cloud; obscure.

Ancestry of “Dim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdim—
2Old Englishdim—
3Old Englishdimmdim
4Proto-Germanicdimmazdark; gloomy
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰem-to whisk, smoke, blow; dust, haze, cloud; obscure
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰem- →