Where does “barminess” come from?
barminess (English) comes from English barmy, from English barm, from Middle English barm, from Old English bearm, from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic barmaz, from Indo-European *bʰer-.
barminess (English): The state of being barmy
Ancestry of “barminess”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | barmy | Odd, strange, or crazy; Containing barm, i.e.... |
| 2 | English | barm | Bosom, lap; Foam rising upon beer, or other malt... |
| 3 | Middle English | barm | The lap; chest, torso, abdomen; belly, stomach |
| 4 | Old English | bearm | bosom, lap; possession |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *barm | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | barmaz | lap; bosom |
| 7 | Indo-European | *bʰer- | — |