Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bum” come from?

Bum derives from German Bummler, formed from the German verb bummeln with the German suffix -er, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

bum (English): The buttocks; The anus; To sodomize; to engage in...

Definitions

  1. The buttocks; The anus; To sodomize; to engage in...

Ancestry of “bum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanBummlerstroller; laggard; idler, loafer
2German-erForms agent nouns etc. from verbs, suffixed to...
3Old High German-āri—
4Proto-West Germanic-ārī-er
5Proto-Germanic-ārijaz-er
6Latin-ārius—
7Proto-Italic*-āzios—

Words derived from “bum”

  • bummer
  • bumming
  • stumblebum
  • bumhole
  • bummy
  • Bumfuck
  • bumfuck
  • bumboy
  • bumsters
  • bumfodder
  • bumster
  • bumfluff
  • bumfreezer
  • saddlebum
  • bumtrap
  • stewbum
  • bumhood
  • shitbum
  • bare-bum
  • bums
  • bumtastic
  • bum out
  • bumsicle
  • boms
Every word from Proto-Italic *-āzios →