Where does “goddam” come from?
Goddam comes from English goddamn, itself from English God combined with Middle English God and Old French dampner, ultimately derived from Latin damnare meaning to condemn and Latin damnum meaning loss or harm.
goddam (English): An English person, from the perspective of a...
Definitions
- An English person, from the perspective of a...
Ancestry of “goddam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | goddam | an English person |
| 2 | English | goddamn | Damned by God |
| 3 | English | damn | To condemn to hell; To condemn; to declare... |
| 4 | Middle English | dampnen | to damn |
| 5 | Old French | dampner | to damn |
| 6 | Latin | damnō | to discredit, find fault, disapprove, reject |
| 7 | Latin | damnum | damage or injury; loss; a fine |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | dapnom | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dh₂pnóm | expense, investment |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |