Where does “glom” come from?
glom (English) comes from Scottish English glaum, from English clam, from Middle English clam, from Old English clām, from Proto-West Germanic *klaim, from Proto-Germanic klaimaz, from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁- — to bend, arch.
glom (English): To steal, to grab; To stare; To attach
Definitions
- To steal, to grab; To stare; To attach
Ancestry of “glom”, step by step
glom traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Scottish English glaum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottish English | glaum | — |
| 2 | English | clam | A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those... |
| 3 | Middle English | clam | pincers, vice, clamp; viscous, sticky; slimy |
| 4 | Old English | clām | clay, mud; paste, mortar, mud, clay, poultice |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *klaim | clay, mortar |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | klaimaz | clay, mortar |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gleh₁y- | to smear, putty; to stick, glue |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gleh₁- | ball, lump |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gewl- | vessel; ball; vessel, bowl, ball; ball, bowl,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gēw- | to bend, arch |
via English glaum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | glaum | To grope with the hands, as in the dark; To grasp... |
| 2 | English | gloom | Darkness, dimness, or obscurity; A depressing,... |
| 3 | Middle English | gloom | — |
| 4 | Old English | glōm | gloaming, twilight; darkness; gloom, gloaming;... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | glōm | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | glōmaz | gleam, shimmer, sheen |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰley- | to shine |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰel- | to shine, glimmer, glow; to shimmer, gleam;... |