Where does “lam” come from?

Lam comes from Old English lemian, from Proto-Germanic lamjaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots lem- and lewk- meaning to break or shine.

lam (English): To beat or thrash; To flee or run away; The...

Definitions

  1. To beat or thrash; To flee or run away; The...

Ancestry of “lam”, step by step

lam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English lamen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlamen—
2Old Englishlemianto lame
3Proto-Germaniclamjanąto bash, hit; to lame, cripple
4Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
5Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
7Chichewaiyehe, she

via Middle English lemen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlemen—
2Old Englishlīemanto emit rays, beam, shine
3Proto-West Germanicliuhmijanto shine
4Proto-Germanicleuhmôlight; lustre; brightness, radiance
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleuk-light, bright; light; white; to shine; to shine,...
Every word from Chichewa iye →Every word from Proto-Germanic -janą →Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti →