Where does “beam” come from?
Beam comes from Old English bēam, from Proto-Germanic baumaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰew-, with the original sense referring to a tree or wooden structure.
beam (English): Any large piece of timber or iron long in...
Definitions
- Any large piece of timber or iron long in...
Ancestry of “beam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | beem | A usually wooden beam or pole |
| 2 | Old English | bēam | tree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | baum | tree; beam |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | baumaz | Alternative form of *bagmaz; tree, beam, balk;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |