Where does “loam” come from?

Loam comes from Middle English lome, Old English lam, Proto-Germanic laimô, and Proto-Indo-European lem-, all referring to clay or mud used in construction.

loam (English): A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt...

Definitions

  1. A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt...

Ancestry of “loam”, step by step

loam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German leime

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanleime—
2Old High Germanleimoloam
3Proto-West Germanic*laimō—
4Proto-Germaniclaimôclay
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂leyH-to smear
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleyh₂-to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

via Middle English lom

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishlomClay especially as used in and pottery
2Old Englishlāmclay, mud, mire, earth
3Proto-Germaniclaimą—

Words derived from “loam”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic laimô →