Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foam” come from?

Foam comes from Middle English fome, from Old English fām, from Proto-Germanic faimaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)poHy-m-os, ultimately derived from the root speh₁-.

foam (English): A substance composed of a large collection of...

Definitions

  1. A substance composed of a large collection of...

Ancestry of “foam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfomAlternative form of fome
2Old Englishfām—
3Proto-West Germanic*faim—
4Proto-Germanicfaimazfoam
5Proto-Indo-European(s)poHy-m-os—
6Proto-Indo-European(s)poH(y)-foam
7Proto-Indo-Europeanspeh₁-to succeed, to prosper

Words derived from “foam”

  • foaming
  • antifoam
  • foamless
  • antifoaming
  • geofoam
  • foamflower
  • afoam
  • foamable
  • nanofoam
  • foameth
  • foamboard
  • defoamer
  • foamability
  • foamlike
  • foamingly
  • polyfoam
  • meadowfoam
  • nonfoaming
  • antifoamer
  • foamer
  • microfoam
  • defoam
  • nonfoam
  • foamback
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- →