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
- Friendly; on, or trying to be on, intimate terms;...
Ancestry of “chummy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chum | A friend; a pal; A roommate, especially in a... |
| 2 | English | chambermate | One who shares a chamber or room |
| 3 | English | maté | An evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to... |
| 4 | Middle English | mate | mate companion, comrade |
| 5 | Middle Low German | māte | — |
| 6 | Old Saxon | gimato | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gamatjô | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 11 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 12 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 13 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 14 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 15 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |