Where does “glum” come from?
Glum comes from Middle English glomen, derived from Middle English glom, from Old English glōm, from Proto-West Germanic glōm, from Proto-Germanic glōmaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰley-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰel-.
glum (English): despondent; moody; sullen; To look sullen; to be...
Definitions
- despondent; moody; sullen; To look sullen; to be...
Ancestry of “glum”, step by step
glum traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English glomen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | glomen | — |
| 2 | Middle English | glom | gloom |
| 3 | Old English | glōm | gloaming, twilight; darkness; gloom, gloaming;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | glōm | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | glōmaz | gleam, shimmer, sheen |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰley- | to shine |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰel- | to shine, glimmer, glow; to shimmer, gleam;... |
via Middle Low German glum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | glum | glum |