Where does “chum” come from?
Chum is an English word of uncertain origin, potentially tracing through Old English iċ and wesan to Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, though the semantic connection remains unclear.
chum (English): A friend; a pal; A roommate, especially in a...
Definitions
- A friend; a pal; A roommate, especially in a...
Ancestry of “chum”, step by step
chum traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English chambermate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chambermate | One who shares a chamber or room |
| 2 | English | maté | An evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to... |
| 3 | Middle English | mate | mate companion, comrade |
| 4 | Middle Low German | māte | — |
| 5 | Old Saxon | gimato | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gamatjô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
via Russian чум
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian | чум | — |