Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Yam” come from?

Yam comes from Chinese jam4, of unknown ultimate origin and meaning.

Ancestry of “Yam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseheimhome, homewards; accusative singular indefinite...
2Old Norseheimrrealm, region within walking distance to a þing...
3Proto-Germanichaimazhome; house; village
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱóymosof the home, belonging to the family; village,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- →