Where does “oakum” come from?
Oakum comes from Middle English okome, from Old English ācumba and ācemban, from Proto-Germanic kambijaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ǵómbʰos and ǵómbʰ-.
oakum (English): A material, consisting of tarred fibres, used to...
Definitions
- A material, consisting of tarred fibres, used to...
Ancestry of “oakum”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | okome | — |
| 2 | Old English | ācumba | oakum |
| 3 | Old English | ācemban | to comb out |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kambijaną | to comb; kemb |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kambaz | comb |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵómbʰos | tooth; row of teeth; peg |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵómbʰ- | to pierce, gnaw through; tooth, horn, peg |