Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chummy” come from?

Chummy derives from English chum, which comes from English cham, tracing back through Latin -ia and Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, meaning "to be."

chummy (English): Friendly; on, or trying to be on, intimate terms;...

Definitions

  1. Friendly; on, or trying to be on, intimate terms;...

Ancestry of “chummy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchumA friend; a pal; A roommate, especially in a...
2EnglishchambermateOne who shares a chamber or room
3EnglishmatéAn evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to...
4Middle Englishmate—
5Middle Low Germanmāte—
6Old Saxongimato—
7Proto-Germanicgamatjô—
8Proto-Germanicga-Indicates association or togetherness; co-;...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
10Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
11Middle Englishkyt—
12Germankitt—
13Old High Germankuti—
14Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
15Proto-Germanickweduzresin

Words derived from “chummy”

  • chumminess
  • chummily
  • unchummy
Every word from Proto-Germanic kweduz →