Where does “blame” come from?
Blame comes from Middle English blame, from Old French blasme and blasmer, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω meaning to speak irreverently, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-.
blame (English): Censure; Culpability for something negative or...
Definitions
- Censure; Culpability for something negative or...
Ancestry of “blame”, step by step
blame traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English blame
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | blame | criticism, condemnation; accusation; blame,... |
| 2 | Old French | blame | — |
| 3 | Old French | blasmer | to blame |
| 4 | Latin | blastēmāre | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βλασφημέω | I speak profanely of sacred things, blaspheme; I... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βλάσφημος | uttering ill-omened words; jinx; reviling,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | φήμη | prophetic voice, oracle; rumor; reputation |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | pʰā́mā | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-meh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂- | to shine, glow light; to speak, say |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-s-ri- | — |
via English storm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | storm | Any disturbed state of the atmosphere, especially... |
| 2 | Middle English | storm | A storm; an instance of intense wind and... |
| 3 | Old English | storm | storm |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sturm | storm |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sturmaz | storm |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)twer- | to rotate, swirl, twirl, move around; to turn... |