Where does “besom” come from?
Besom comes from Middle English besme, Old English besema, Proto-West Germanic besmō, Proto-Germanic besmô, and Proto-Indo-European bʰés-mō ~ bʰs-m̥nés, all meaning a bundle of twigs or brush used for sweeping.
besom (English): A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a...
Definitions
- A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a...
Ancestry of “besom”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bisne | example, exemplar; warning, prophecy, bizen |
| 2 | English | business | A specific commercial enterprise or... |
| 3 | Middle English | busines | — |
| 4 | Old English | bisiġnes | business, busyness |
| 5 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |